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A deadly strain of bird flu has reached has reached one of Australia’s sub-Antarctic islands, the federal government has confirmed.
The confirmation on Tuesday comes after researchers from the Australian Antarctic Program observed unusually high levels of mortality among elephant seals on Heard Island — part of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, an Australian external territory — last month.
“While this detection of H5 bird flu on Heard Island does not substantially increase risks to Australia, it does reinforce the ongoing need for Australia to remain focused on preparing for a potential outbreak,” Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said in a statement.
The results are not unexpected and do not substantially increase Australia’s current risk level, the government said.
Australia remains the sole continent yet to witness an outbreak of the highly infectious H5N1 virus, which was initially identified back in 1996.
Recent examinations showed no abnormal death rates among various species on the island, such as penguins and other seabirds.
Globally, there has been a noticeable rise in reported outbreaks in recent times, affecting both wild and domestic animal populations. It is estimated that millions of farmed and wild birds have succumbed to this virus.
Could bird flu reach Australia?
While Heard Island is very remote — located more than 4,000 kilometres south-west of Perth and 1,700 kilometres north of Antarctica — scientists say there’s still a possibility the disease could reach the Australian mainland.
That’s thanks to migratory birds, said Sanjaya Senanayake, specialist in infectious diseases at the Australian National University’s School of Medicine and Psychology.
“Birds can fly anywhere — there’s always the risk that this could happen, just as it has in the United States,” Senanayake told SBS News in October. “It is a reminder that this can happen.”
Last year, cattle were added to the list of animals infected by the virus after it spread across farms in multiple US states.
Senanayake said that means surveillance will be key, encouraging testing and quarantining to occur early if there’s even the “slightest suspicion” that bird or cattle populations in Australia are sick.
The Albanese government is investing more than $100 million to strengthen bird flu preparedness and enhance Australia’s national response capability, Collins said.
Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said researchers were monitoring the global spread of bird flu “so that we are equipped with the best possible information for when it reaches our shores”.
He added that a second voyage to Heard Island, which is scheduled to arrive in late December, will gather further information about wildlife health.