Lead

Two greater crested terns found dead on separate beaches in South Australia have tested positive for the H5 strain of bird flu, in what authorities say is the first confirmed case on a metropolitan beach in the state.

The CSIRO confirmed the positive results for the two native birds. One bird was found near Robe on the Limestone Coast, while the other was located at a beach ramp near the Semaphore Surf Life Saving Club, north-west of Adelaide. The cases were initially flagged as suspected cases before confirmation.

Coverage Comparison

ABC Australia reported the development, citing officials including acting Australian chief veterinary officer Sam Hamilton and SA Environment Minister Emily Bourke. The outlet's coverage highlighted the significance of the metropolitan location and the growing number of detections nationally. In an earlier report, the same broadcaster noted that the two birds had been found in local bird species, contrasting with previous confirmed cases which involved migratory birds from the sub-Antarctic region.

Key Claims

  • Two greater crested terns found dead on separate South Australian beaches have tested positive for H5 bird flu.
  • This is the first time a case has been confirmed on a SA metropolitan beach.
  • Acting Australian chief veterinary officer Sam Hamilton said there have now been 20 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia. "All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations," he said in a statement. "There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system. The risk to human health remains low."
  • Several counts have been reported. ABC Australia reported that as of Sunday, there were seven confirmed cases in SA, 10 in WA, and two in NSW. An earlier report cited nationally 18 confirmed cases, with five in South Australia.
  • Queensland confirmed its first H5 bird flu case after a dead petrel was found on Moreton Island, east of Brisbane.
  • South Australia's first confirmed case was in a giant petrel found on the Fleurieu Peninsula on June 14.
  • Minister Emily Bourke said the bird found in Robe was located 4 kilometres from where the first Australian seabird confirmed to have the H5 strain was found. "Unfortunately, we are finding that these two cases are in our local [bird] species," she said.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said results from testing at the CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong were expected early next week. "I do understand that these birds were deceased so they may be degraded samples but the CSIRO lab will do everything they can to check the sequencing," she said. "We have no evidence of any transmission in Australia in terms of the H5 bird flu at this point in time. We have no mass mortalities been recorded, we have no bird flu in our poultry or agricultural systems and the risk to human health remains low."