Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed two presumed positive results for petrels, one found at Parry Beach in Denmark on Western Australia’s south coast and one found at Seabird, north of Perth.
The sequencing of the virus could not be determined for these cases, but the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is treating them as a positive as a precautionary measure.
A range of factors can affect sequencing, particularly in wildlife samples from deceased animals.
There have now been 17 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia.
All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations. All but one have been wild migratory seabirds.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
16 July 2026
Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed a further positive detection of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a petrel, found at Hawks Nest, New South Wales.
There have now been 15 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia.
All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations. All but one have been wild migratory seabirds.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
15 July 2026
Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has determined one additional presumed positive detection of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a petrel, found at Lancelin Beach in Western Australia.
The sequencing of the virus could not be determined, but the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is treating this case as a positive as a precautionary measure.
There have now been 14 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia.
All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations. All but one have been wild migratory seabirds.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
10 July 2026
Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP)has determined that there has been one additional detection of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a petrel, found at Horrocks Beach near Northampton, Western Australia.
While in this case the sequencing of the virus could not be determined, the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is treating this case as a positive as a precautionary measure.
There have now been 13 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia. All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations. All but one have been wild migratory seabirds.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events, and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
10 July 2026
Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed four additional detections of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu).
This includes a detection in a greater crested tern, found near Robe, South Australia. This is the first detection of H5 bird flu in an Australian wild non-migratory seabird.
CSIRO’s ACDP has confirmed two additional positive cases in wild migratory seabirds from South Australia. The petrels were found in Port Vincent, Yorke Peninsula and Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island.
CSIRO’s ACDP has also confirmed another positive result in a previously reported suspect petrel from Mullaloo Beach, Perth in Western Australia. Testing remains underway for a further suspect case from a petrel at Horrocks Beach in the Shire of Northampton.
There have now been 12 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events, and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
8 July 2026
Attributable to the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a sample taken from a giant petrel found near Hardwicke Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
This is the eighth detection or presumed positive result of H5 bird flu in migratory seabirds.
The South Australian Government today also reported two further suspected positive cases of H5 bird flu in two giant petrels.
Samples returned initial positive test results at the state government laboratory, and will now be sent to CSIRO’s ACDP for confirmatory testing.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
Poultry producers are reminded that on-farm biosecurity practices are crucial to protect the health of their flocks.
6 July 2026
Attributable to the acting Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Sam Hamilton:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has determined the giant petrel found in the Perth North Metropolitan Area (Whitfords - Mullaloo beach) of Western Australia is presumed positive for H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu).
CSIRO’s ACDP has confirmed the giant petrel was infected with an influenza virus of the H5 subtype. In this case ACDP has been unable to sequence the virus.
The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is treating this case as a positive as a precautionary measure, because of the initial WA laboratory findings, and the consistency with recent findings in other petrels
The inability to obtain a sequence is not unexpected. A range of factors, including the amount of virus in the sample and the sample quality, can affect sequencing, particularly in wildlife samples from deceased animals.
This is the seventh wild migratory seabird in Australia to return a confirmed or presumed positive result for H5 bird flu.
At this stage, there have only been detections in migratory seabirds that occasionally visit Australia.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
4 July 2026
Attributable to the acting Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Sam Hamilton:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a sample taken from a giant petrel found near Hawks Nest in New South Wales.
This is the sixth detection of H5 bird flu in migratory seabirds.
Confirmatory testing is underway on samples taken from a suspect positive giant petrel found at Mullaloo Beach in Western Australia.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
4 July 2026
Attributable to the acting Chair of Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases and acting Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Sam Hamilton:
The Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases (CCEAD) met yesterday, following two additional suspect detections of H5 bird flu in migratory sea birds in NSW and Western Australia, to discuss the current situation and appropriate response activities.
State and territory governments are responsible for surveillance and response activities on the ground. They are actively working with industries to provide guidance on implementation of enhanced biosecurity measures, as appropriate.
CCEAD discussed practical precautionary measures, given the suspect detections in new locations in NSW and WA and endorsed an approach at this time involving heightened flock biosecurity.
This includes options for states and territories to utilise non-mandatory measures including advising commercial poultry producers to house free-range birds where practical while maintaining animal welfare.
This is a time-limited approach while further evidence of the risk of H5 bird flu is sought through enhanced national surveillance.
CCEAD will review this advice within two weeks.
There have only been detections in migratory seabirds that occasionally visit Australia.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
30 June 2026
Attributable to Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a giant petrel in Western Australia.
This detection initially returned a suspected positive result at the state laboratory, and marks the fifth wild migratory seabird in Australia to return a positive result for H5 bird flu, with three others confirmed in Western Australia and one in South Australia.
- At this stage, there have only been detections in vagrant migratory seabirds that occasionally visit southern Australia. There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
27 June 2026
Attributable to Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a giant petrel in Western Australia.
This detection marks the fourth wild migratory seabird in Australia to return a positive result for H5 bird flu, with two others confirmed in Western Australia and one in South Australia.
Western Australian has also reported a further suspect positive detection, in a giant petrel found at Roses Beach, west of Esperance, with samples sent for confirmatory testing at CSIRO’s ACDP.
- At this stage, there have only been detections in vagrant migratory seabirds that occasionally visit southern Australia. There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
Further information
You can help to determine if H5 bird flu has spread. If you see multiple sick or dead birds or other animals, do not touch them. Avoid contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 from anywhere in Australia.
For more information visit: birdflu.gov.au
