A second bird found sick on a remote beach in Western Australia’s south coast has now tested positive for a deadly strain of bird flu, authorities have confirmed.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said testing at the CSIRO had confirmed both a brown skua and a northern giant petrel had tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.
Both birds were found in Esperance, about 700 kilometres south-east of Perth, and authorities confirmed on Saturday morning that the brown skua had the disease.
Ms Collins said there was no evidence of mass mortalities in wildlife, with the Australian poultry and agricultural systems free from bird flu so far.
“We are working to determine whether the H5 bird flu has established in the wildlife of Australia, other than these two isolated birds,” she said.
She said samples from the infected birds would be investigated over the next week, with researchers looking for evidence of the infection spreading to other species.
This bird was the second in Australia to test positive to the virus. (Supplied: Esperance Wildlife Hospital)
The news comes after Ingham’s, one of the nation’s biggest poultry producers, announced today it was locking down its entire WA operations in response to the bird flu threat.
Almost 60 sick birds reported
Meanwhile, WA’s chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan said at least 58 reports of sick or dead birds had been logged by an emergency hotline since Friday, with nine samples collected for testing.
The figures are for a period up until 3pm WST yesterday.
“We appreciate the level of interest and support from the community who are making these reports,” she said.
“The community is a vital partner and can greatly enhance our surveillance.”
Esperance, 700km south east of Perth, is a major migratory route and nesting ground for seabirds from around the world.
The region includes nesting grounds on the Recherche Archipelago and internationally protected RAMSAR-listed wetlands visited by hundreds of bird species each year.
Information lacking: local shire
Despite today’s second positive test, Esperance shire president Ron Chambers said there had been little communication with the local government.
He said responding agencies needed to collaborate with local leaders and officials.
“[The media] is saying that the state and federal governments have been collaborating quite a bit with different agencies around the bird flu and the possible detection of bird flu within Australia,” he said.
“It would be really good to see that now start to flow down to local governments … they’re probably going to be the ones that get hit fairly hard for information.”
Black swans are considered to be at significant risk from bird flu. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough)
His concern was echoed by BirdLife Australia chief executive Kate Millar, who warned the discovery could lead to species becoming extinct.
She said protections in place for at-risk species were not sufficient and additional funding was needed to bolster on-ground preparedness.
“I’m concerned that many jurisdictions at the local level simply don’t yet have plans in place to respond to H5 bird flu,” she said.
Ingham’s lockdown
Earlier, Ingham’s said it was implementing a “complete lockdown, preventing all non-essential access, across all the company’s WA farms and processing operations.”
Ingham’s has locked down its WA operations in response to the discovery of the H5 avian influenza variant in the state. (ABC News: Mitchell Edgar)
In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, Ingham’s said it had “moved to a state of heightened biosecurity vigilance to mitigate against any potential risks.”
The company’s operations and supply chain are mostly located in the Wheatbelt region north of Perth, about 700 kilometres from Esperance.
Few ways to stop spread
Australian chief veterinary officer Beth Cookson said if avian flu were to spread, there were not many feasible ways to control it.
“What we’re trying to do now is understand what is being reported through the public hotline … and if there’s been any indication of spread,” she said.
Samples from the infected birds are being investigated further. (Supplied: Lori-Ann Shibish/Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary)
WA Premier Roger Cook said “a lot of work” was being done between governments on how to handle the detection.
“We are hoping for the best, preparing for the worst,” he said.
Federal environment minister Murray Watt said a special meeting would be held later on Monday afternoon to brief state environment ministers across the nation.
