H5 bird flu detected in second Australia state

SYDNEY – Scientists have detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu strain in a second Australian state, the nation’s agriculture minister said yesterday.

Australia was for years the only continental landmass free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and high mortality in poultry and wild birds worldwide.

Two H5 cases have been confirmed in migratory birds in Western Australia, with officials now warning of a third infection found hundreds of kilometres away in South Australia.

“This is obviously concerning, but given the spread of H5 globally, it is not unexpected that other migratory birds may have arrived at other locations across the Australian coastline,” Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told reporters.