Australia warns H5N1 likely to spread after first mass mortality episode

Australia has warned that H5N1 bird flu is likely to spread further, after the country’s first mass mortality episode among seabirds killed about 50 greater crested terns off the ⁠coast south of Adelaide.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said on Monday testing confirmed H5N1 bird flu in a group of 49 dead and 35 sick terns found by helicopter surveillance on rocks off Cape Jaffa, 250km (155 miles) ‌from Adelaide on Friday.

However, there is no evidence yet of the virus on Australia’s farms, many of which have locked down to safeguard poultry ⁠flocks since it was first detected in June.

“Australians should expect to see more spread and larger numbers now of wildlife being affected,” Collins told reporters in the capital, Canberra.

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt echoed Collins’ comments, saying it was not possible to prevent wildlife from “moving around”.

“The reality is you can’t stop native and wild birds flying around, and you can’t stop wild animals moving around, and that will mean more mass mortality events like the one we have now seen,” he said.

Australia and New Zealand, which saw its first ⁠H5N1 case last month, have spent years bracing for the virus, with steps such as tighter biosecurity at ⁠farms, testing of shore birds, vaccinating vulnerable species ⁠and war-gaming response plans.

The virus has killed hundreds of millions of birds and mammals around the world in recent years, causing billions of dollars in losses to poultry farmers, infecting cattle in the United ‌States and littering beaches with corpses of birds and seals.

H5N1 bird flu can infect humans who have contact with infected animals. But the number of ‌cases ‌worldwide is small and officials say the risk to humans is low.

Australia was the last continent to report a case of H5N1 bird flu.