Authorities confirm fears of another suspected case of bird flu in Australia

By ALLANAH SCIBERRAS FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 10:57, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 10:58, 26 June 2026 Another suspected case of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a migratory bird, although there are so far no signs of transmission to local wildlife. Three cases of the deadly avian influenza have been confirmed so far in seabirds in two states in Australia over the past week. There are also two suspected cases, the latest discovered among four other birds at Roses Beach near Esperance on June 21. The petrel is still awaiting further confirmation through testing, WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis told reporters on Friday. The other birds found at Roses Beach returned negative results, which Ms Jarvis said was an encouraging result. 'It means there is no evidence of disease transmission here on the Australian mainland,' she said. 'Australia is well prepared to respond quickly to H5 bird flu to protect poultry and reduce impacts on wildlife.' Samples from the bird, a petrel common to the subantarctic, have been sent to the CSIRO for further testing in Geelong. Three cases of the deadly avian influenza have been confirmed in seabirds found in two states in the last week Another suspected case of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a migratory bird near Esperance in WA WA authorities have received more than 357 reports of sick birds since the first suspected case 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 found on the Fleurieu Peninsula, SA, on June 14, and a giant petrel found in Esperance on June 18. Suspected cases include a giant petrel found in Quindalup, WA, on June 20, and the giant petrel found on June 21. Ground-based surveillance and drone surveys continue across the country, with poultry and egg producers remaining on high alert. Major poultry producer Inghams earlier this week announced it would lock down its WA sites to mitigate against any potential risks. 'There have been no detections in poultry, and there have been no reports of large scale mortalities,' Ms Jarvis said. A temporary ban on all poultry products imported from Australia, imposed by Papua New Guinea's National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority on Monday, has been lifted. The giant petrel found on SA's Fleurieu Peninsula a fortnight ago tested positive to the virus this week There are so far no signs of transmission to local wildlife, according to WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis Opposition spokesman Lachlan Hunter urged the state government to continue taking precautions to protect poultry and egg producers. 'I've spoken with industry representatives and the message is clear. Producers want to ensure every reasonable step is being taken to protect Western Australia's poultry and egg industries,' Mr Hunter said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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.