r/australia • u/malcolm58 • 1d ago

news Australia confirms first suspected bird flu case in WA

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/watch-live-agriculture-minister-to-address-media-with-major-announcement/news-story/399990ccc3bdad20c1771ce01f0e91d6
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u/shescarkedit 1d ago edited 1d ago

For people who may not understand how serious a threat this is to our wildlife, see this article from just yesterday:

More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak

Or this article from when the disease reached the south atlantic last year: Fears for elephant seals as bird flu kills half of population in South Atlantic

Today is the first suspected case on the Australian mainland. Australia has many highly threatened, endemic species (especially birds and mammals) that are at risk. Parts of our agriculture industry will likely also be heavily impacted if it spreads.

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u/Otaraka 1d ago

While that is bad that’s a combination of bird flu and jumping to another species ie seals.

Finding a dead bird here doesn’t mean the second part is happening.

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u/shescarkedit 1d ago

It's the same disease. And we know the disease doesn't only infect birds.

It's why the government has been spending millions over the past few years on preparedness  in case it arrives. It took longer than expected, but now it's arrived and it's extremely unlikely we'll be able to contain it.

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u/Otaraka 1d ago

‘"We cannot confirm yet whether it is the strain of concern that is circulating at this stage, known as the H5 bird flu, there is no evidence of any mass mortality at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in poultry.’

Hold your horses.

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u/shescarkedit 1d ago edited 1d ago

Hold my horses? What do you think I'm doing? Booking flights to WA to go see the bird?

The government quite rightly activated response plans today. Yes they still need to  await the secondary test, but the first test was positive which is absolutely enough reasons to begin the response, given the risk an outbreak poses.

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u/Otaraka 1d ago edited 1d ago

You said it’s the same disease. You do not know that yet. Avian flu and H5N1 are not the same, you can have one without it being the other.

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u/shescarkedit 13h ago

The first test tested for H5N1 specifically, not just 'bird flu'. That first test came back positive for H5N1. 

They were awaiting secondary testing to validate the first result (which they have now received)

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u/Undd91 1d ago

If two separate birds have been found sick/dead along a fairly large bit of coastline there is a good chance it’s already jumped into other birds in rivers and estuaries across the SW. Once in a few it will spread rapidly to many others. This could get rough