Authorities urge public not to panic as bird flu tally climbs

A giant petrel in South Australia has returned a suspect result for the H5 strain, prompting further testing by authorities as the national tally threatened to reach eight. Six infections have been confirmed to date in migratory seabirds off Western Australia, South Australia and NSW. The petrel and another suspect case in WA may push the national tally higher. The virus was first detected on the Australian mainland on 14 June in a brown skua found at Esperance on WA's south coast. The giant petrel was found at Hardwicke Bay in SA's Yorke Peninsula and reported to the disease hotline before being collected and sampled by the state's Primary Industries and Regions department. Samples that returned the suspect detection have been sent to CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong for confirmation. If the result is upheld, it will be SA's second confirmed case. SA Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the detection was disappointing but not unexpected, given the pathway the strain had taken to Australia via wild migratory birds. The new suspect case was considered isolated and there were no signs of spread into native wildlife, she said. "It's important to note that we still don't have any detections in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or any other birds in South Australia, nor has it become established in any part of Australia," Scriven told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday. In NSW, authorities insist there's no bird flu crisis and no need to panic, despite a growing number of birds testing positive to the deadly virus along the Australian coastline. Poultry farms have been asked to consider housing their birds indoors after the discovery of NSW's first confirmed case of the H5N1 strain in a bird on the state's Mid North Coast. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty called for calm on Sunday. "I want to stress its the only one time that it has been found, we still have one bird that has tested positive," Moriarty told reporters. "There is no crisis, there is no need to panic." Shoppers are also being urged to continue buying poultry and eggs as normal. Authorities say the immediate risk to the public remains low. However they are urging people not to touch sick or dead birds or wildlife, to keep pets away and to record the date, time, location and number of affected animals. Environment groups have called for extra federal funding to strengthen wildlife resilience and improve monitoring, warning that relying on surveillance alone may not be enough if H5 spreads into native species. Suspected cases should be reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888. <b><i>download our app</i></b> <b><i>subscribe to our newsletter</i></b>