Authorities confirm a fourth case of bird flu has been detected in Australia

By ALLANAH SCIBERRAS FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 07:42, 27 June 2026 | Updated: 07:42, 27 June 2026  A fourth case of avian influenza has been confirmed in a migratory bird but there are still no signs of spread to local poultry or wildlife. Three seabirds with deadly H5N1 were detected earlier this week, two in Western Australia and one in SA. Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said on Saturday that WA had reported a further detection in a giant petrel on the state's southern coast. WA has also reported a further suspect bird, with a giant petrel found at Roses Beach, west of Esperance, on June 21. That bird was found among four others, with samples sent for confirmatory testing at the CSIRO's centre for disease preparedness. The other birds found at Roses Beach had thankfully returned negative results, WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis told reporters on Friday. 'At this stage, there have only been detections in vagrant migratory seabirds that occasionally visit southern Australia,' Dr Cookson said on Saturday. 'There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system. Another giant petrel has tested positive to the deadly H5N1 virus Authorities insist that there are still no signs that the virus has spread to local poultry or wildlife 'The risk to human health remains low.' WA authorities had by Friday received some 360 reports of sick birds since the first suspected case was found on a remote beach in Esperance, about 700km southeast of Perth. About 43 have been prioritised for further investigation and testing, with 12 returning negative results. Confirmed cases include a brown skua found in Esperance, WA, on June 14, a giant petrel on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula on June 14, and a giant petrel in Esperance on June 18. Ground-based surveillance and drone surveys continue across the country. A temporary ban on poultry products from Australia imposed by Papua New Guinea's National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority on Monday has been lifted. Authorities urge the public to not touch any dead birds or other animals and to report them to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.