Australia reported its first case of a dangerous avian influenza variant,marking virus's presence on continent for first time . Agricultural officials announced this Saturday after finding pathogen in a brown skua,a migratory bird, on beach in national park near Esperance.
This detection is big milestone, as Australia was last continent without this strain recorded . Minister of Agriculture Julie Collins called it inevitable, saying,"We all knew we couldn't be bird flu-free forever." Bird was found about 700 km southeast of Perth,local reports say.
Authorities are also checking a possible second case involving a southern petrel found weak on same beach . Collins said no signs yet of widespread bird deaths locally .
Fion Fraser,Commissioner for Threatened Species,said further checks will see if virus hit other wildlife in Australia. And Beth Cookson, Chief Veterinary Officer,noted measures for such events were ready long ago. An emergency animal diseases committee met same day to discuss situation.
This variant was found earlier on remote Heard and McDonald Islands in October 2022. A study showed over 75% of a 17,000 young seal colony on Heard Island died from virus since last August. Local penguins also saw more deaths.
Scientists think migratory birds from Crozet Islands, 1,800 km away,brought virus to those islands. Strain first appeared in China in late 1990s, mostly targets birds but sometimes infects other animals like seals,otters. Human cases are rare, usually from direct contact with infected animals.
As virus spreads globally, its impact on wildlife and poultry sector could be big. Fast spread among birds raises fears of outbreaks in domestic flocks, risking serious economic fallout. Authorities watching closely,hoping to limit virus's spread across Australia…
