Australia confirms first mainland H5N1 bird flu case

Australia has confirmed its first mainland case of H5N1 bird flu in a seabird found near Esperance in Western Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday. He said the government would do everything it can to limit any spread of the virus. Officials said the case was detected after testing a migratory brown skua in Cape Le Grand National Park, southeast of Perth. A second sick bird in the same area, a giant petrel, also tested positive, but there is no evidence the virus has reached poultry or the wider agricultural system. The detection is significant because Australia had been the only continent without a confirmed mainland H5N1 case. Authorities have already tightened biosecurity on farms, increased testing of shorebirds, vaccinated vulnerable species, and carried out emergency response exercises.