Asia & Pacific
Testing had confirmed the bird, found sick near Esperance, a town about 570 km southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, had the deadly strain.
A test tube labelled “bird flu“, eggs and a piece of paper in the colors of the Australian national flag are seen in this picture illustration taken on Jan. 14, 2023. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic)
Australia will do all it can to curb any spread of H5N1 bird flu, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday, as the first mainland infection was confirmed in a seabird a day after being detected in a remote southwestern region.Until now, Australia has been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, although the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island, about 4,100 kilometers from continental Australia.
"This is concerning," Albanese told reporters in Sydney, adding that his centre-left government would do "whatever we can to restrict any spread".
