AusSMC x Nature Media Centre BRIEFING: Highly-pathogenic H5 bird flu reaches Australia

AusSMC x Nature Media Centre BRIEFING: Highly-pathogenic H5 bird flu reaches Australia – ask the experts

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-06-25 10:30

Australia; NSW; QLD; TAS

CC-0. https://pixabay.com/photos/giant-petrel-bird-birds-flight-3875686/

**RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE** Australia's first cases of highly-pathogenic H5N1 bird flu were confirmed in wild seabirds over the weekend and on Monday. This strain of bird flu has caused widespread outbreaks in wild birds and poultry around the world, leading to the deaths or culling of hundreds of millions of birds, major economic losses for farmers, and growing concerns about its spread to mammals and its potential to adapt to infect humans more easily. Until these recent cases, Australia had been spared this deadly strain, but H5N1 bird flu has now reached our shores. Join us for this online Q&A, when top Australian experts will answer your questions about the virus, and what this means for Australians.

News release

From: Australian Science Media Centre

Speakers:

Professor Raina MacIntyre, Head of the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW
Dr Jane Younger, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) / University of Tasmania
Professor Hugh Possingham, Biodiversity Council Australia / BirdLife Australia / The University of Queensland

Date: Thu 25 June 2026
Start Time: 10:30am AEST
Duration: Approx 45 min
Venue: Online - Zoom

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Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre, Nature Media Centre

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