Kathrine Frich
Officials are waiting anxiously to see if the virus is the highly dangerous H5 strain.
Nature knows no borders, and migratory paths eventually bring distant problems to local shores.
A major global health concern has been circling the globe for months.
Now, an isolated discovery has triggered a fast response from government officials.
A worrying discovery
Authorities in Australia are investigating a suspected case of bird flu in a wild migratory bird. The animal turned up in a remote area of Western Australia.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the situation on Friday. She confirmed that local tests showed a suspected positive result for avian influenza according to Sky News Australia.
The government sent samples to a national laboratory for further checks. “Samples have now been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Center for Disease Preparedness for confirmatory testing, with results expected tomorrow,” Collins said.
Officials believe the bird was already sick when it landed. They warned the public not to touch sick animals and to report any dead clusters immediately.
Global spread continues
Health officials are waiting anxiously to see if the virus is the highly dangerous H5 strain. This specific variant has ripped through wildlife populations globally.
“If it is confirmed to be the H5 bird flu, this will be sobering, but not unexpected, given the spread globally,” Collins noted. She stressed there is no sign of infection in local poultry yet.
Australia has beaten back other forms of the virus before. But the agriculture department notes the country has never dealt with the H5 variant.
Collins pointed out that Australia is currently the only continent free from H5N1. “We’ve always said that we couldn’t keep it out forever, so it’s about making sure as we’re as prepared as we can be, and that’s what you’ve seen from our government in terms of the investments that we have made working with states and territories,” she said.
Protecting local wildlife
The government just unveiled a fresh financial package. The funds will help protect native species by improving habitats.
Environment Minister Murray Watt explained that strong animal populations are the best defense. “The best way we can protect species most vulnerable to H5 bird flu is to have strong and healthy populations,” Watt said.
The threat feels especially real following a devastating event on a remote Australian territory. Scientists recently observed an outbreak that wiped out thousands of elephant seal pups on Heard Island.
Researchers estimated 76 percent of the pups died. Lead author Dr Julie McInnes said this shows the “continued eastward movement of the virus around the sub-Antarctic.”
Sources: Sky News Australia, NewsWire
