The findings were verified by Australia's national science agency, prompting authorities to activate emergency response measures and convene top animal health and agricultural officials to assess the situation.
Australia has recorded its first-ever case of the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, a development that means the virus has now been detected on every continent across the globe.
Australian Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced on Saturday that the virus was identified in a migratory seabird found in remote Western Australia, ending the country's status as the last continent free of the H5 strain.
Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, Collins said the infection was confirmed in a brown skua, a seabird known for its long migratory journeys. She added that samples taken from another sick bird, a giant petrel, had also returned a suspected positive result.
The findings were verified by Australia's national science agency, prompting authorities to activate emergency response measures and convene top animal health and agricultural officials to assess the situation.
