First case of bird flu detected in SA
BREAKING: A case of bird flu has been detected in South Australia, confirming fears the virus has spread.
South Australia has detected its first case of H5 bird flu in Port Elliot, Premier Peter Malinauskas has confirmed.
Malinauskas made the announcement with Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon.
Malinauskas said the positive case was detected in a Southern Giant Petrel at Knights Beach after testing by the CSIRO. The bird was picked up by the Wildlife Welfare Organisation on June 14 in a “debilitated condition”.
He said the state government’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions learned about the case after the Wildlife Welfare Organisation made a post to social media about caring for an unwell Giant Petrel.
“Immediately, once that was drawn to the attention, on the 19th of June, I should say, to the relevant authorities in South Australia, we responded quickly and enabled and facilitated active testing of those birds for H5 bird flu,” Malinauskas said.
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The positive bird was found alongside another giant petrel, which tested negative. The government said it was being treated as an “isolated incident” with no detections in SA poultry at the time of writing.
He also addressed speculation about two other birds in Fowlers Bay which were pictured in a number of media reports, saying those birds had also been tested and were negative.
It comes after South Australia began testing dead migratory seabirds amid fears that the H5N1 virus had expanded to a second state.
Since January 1, 774 samples from birds have been tested in SA.
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It’s the first detection of the virus on South Australian shores, after a case of deadly H5 bird flu was found about 700 kilometres south-east of Perth.
Collins said she was aware of a second suspected case in WA that is now undergoing testing, but there was “no evidence of mass mortalities”.
Major poultry producer Inghams has announced it would lock down its WA sites to mitigate against potential risks.
Collins also said a ban on poultry imports from Australia to Papua New Guinea had been partly lifted.
“The suspension of poultry and poultry products has been lifted, with some exceptions, and we will continue to work with them on this,” she said.
Collins said she was unaware of any other countries implementing a ban and that “97 per cent of Australia’s chicken meat that’s produced here is consumed domestically”.
Malinauskas continues to urge the public to avoid coming into contact with dead birds and instead contact the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
“The key message for South Australians tonight is that where they see wildlife or bird life that is unwell or looks to have passed away in unclear circumstances, to avoid, record and report,” Malinauskas said.
Bird flu infections in humans are rare, but can be severe.
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