Australia confirms local transmission of bird flu
The first case of H5 bird flu has been confirmed in an infected giant petrel.
The highly contagious H5 bird flu virus has started spreading locally among wild birds in Australia, the nation’s chief veterinary officer said on July 29.
Australia was for years the only continental landmass free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and death in poultry and wild birds worldwide.
“This news of some local transmission may mean we start to see wider spread among wild birds,” chief government veterinary officer Beth Cookson told reporters.
