H5 bird flu: Testing under way after mass mortality event in SA - EUROPE SAYS
Authorities will test dozens of birds after a mass mortality event offSouth Australia’s south-east coast. Environment Minister Emily Bourke confirmed on Saturday afternoon state aerial surveillance had. . .
Authorities will test dozens of birds after a mass mortality event offSouth Australia’s south-east coast. Environment Minister Emily Bourke confirmed on Saturday afternoon state aerial surveillance had detected 49 dead and 35 sick greater crested terns on the island of Baudin Rocks off Cape Jaffa on Friday. Six additional suspected cases have also been reported, including three cases in greater crested terns. Neil BowmanLab testing is under way to confirm if the animals were infected with H5 bird flu. Meanwhile, 19 suspected cases of bird flu have been confirmed, including the first case of a seagull in Australia which was found in Robe on South Australia’s Limestone Coast. Six additional suspected cases have also been reported, including three cases in seagulls and three cases in greater crested terns. Bourke said the tests have been sent to Geelong for confirmation. South Australian chief veterinary officer Dr Skye Fruean said authorities have known this scenario was a possibility for some time. “Unfortunately, it does appear to be escalating quite rapidly,” Fruean said. “That’s not that surprising as these birds do mingle and come into contact all the time on our shorelines and coast. “That’s part of the reason we need to continue to do the surveillance so that we can monitor the situation to give people warning. “There is nothing we can do unfortunately to stop the spread though through our wildlife. ”Fruean described the mass mortality event as “unusual” and confirmed authorities needed to wait for the test results to confirm H5 bird flu. “A mass mortality event doesn’t have any particular defined number,” Fruean said. “Mass mortality is essentially something that would be unusual and significant, and I would describe it as that. ”Australia had53 confirmed cases of H5 bird fluas of 2pm AEST on Saturday. This includes 39 cases inSouth Australia, 10 inWestern Australia, two inNSW, one inQueenslandand one inVictoria.