"I think the critical thing to say is that right now this is just a suspected case, nothing has been confirmed yet, but the sample is on its way to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, which is Australia's avian influenza reference laboratory, for confirmation, and we will receive more information tomorrow.

This virus is causing a global animal pandemic. It has spread to all continents except for Australia, and in that time, Australia has taken the opportunity to prepare for the arrival of this virus through various activities. Australia has formed a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Preparedness Taskforce with representatives from agriculture, environment, and human health. They've been looking at Australia's weaknesses and trying to build resilience into wildlife, and they've undertaken a huge variety of different things.

We're also doing quite a lot of additional surveillance, and so it is through surveillance that this detection, or this suspected detection, has turned up.

Unfortunately, everywhere that this virus has gone, it's been really catastrophic, with mass mortality events in wildlife, and in some places, we've seen species-level reductions in population, so really massive consequences for wildlife.

There have also been really big impacts on industry. For example, since the arrival of the virus in the US, more than 200 million chickens have been culled, which, of course, is bad for farmers and bad for consumers. It has also caused a number of human cases, and generally these human cases are people who work with infected poultry, so poultry workers, or in the US, in particular, people who work in the dairy industry and are exposed to infected cattle.

But overall, the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Organisation for Animal Health have confirmed that the risk to the general population from this virus remains low.

The other thing to say is that if people see sick or dead wild birds or marine mammals, it is very important that this is reported. The way to do that is to call the emergency animal disease hotline, which is 1800675888. It works in every state and territory in Australia.

Please don't touch the carcasses, but definitely have a look and take some notes about what it is, and the reporting is the really critical part."

"It is highly concerning if this is H5. Our research shows the spread of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b across the world since 2021 has been unprecedented.

Australia is the only continent free of the virus. It is a pandemic in birds. From historically affecting mainly waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans), it now affects over 135 wild bird species which were never affected previously.

This means there are many more migratory bird flyways through which infection can reach our mainland. Terrestrial animals such as foxes and domestic cats have also been affected in several countries.

I note it has not been confirmed yet. We do know that H5N1 was confirmed in Heard Island, an Australian territory, in late 2025. WA is the closest state to Heard Island, which is now experiencing mass mortality in sea lions, penguins and other wildlife in Heard Island.

We do not know what effect H5N1 would have on our unique native wildlife. The cycle of infection is from wild birds to poultry and back, so our poultry industry will be at risk if this is H5.

In poultry, the virus is highly pathogenic, which means it usually kills the poultry. If the poultry are not culled, it will spread to other poultry on a farm and kill them, which is why, traditionally, culling has been used.

There are poultry vaccines, but they are partially effective and can mask outbreaks.

There is also the threat to dairy farming, which was seen in the US over the past 2 years. The failure to stop it spreading from farm to farm in the US was a catastrophe, with dairy farms affected in 19 states. If this is H5, dairy farming is important to our economy, so we should learn from the lessons of the US and ensure it does not affect our dairy industry.

In the US, our research showed the initial introduction was from wild birds, but once it got into dairy cattle, it spread from farm to farm through cattle trading, and the use of poultry litter in cattle feed exacerbated it. Fortunately, in Australia, the use of poultry byproducts in cattle feed is not allowed, and that will protect us. Australia has strong biosecurity and is very well prepared, but infection in wild birds is difficult to control."

"If it turns out that the cause of the illness in this bird, found in SW West Australia, is due to a virulent strain of H5N1 avian flu, then it could be catastrophic for Australia’s unique fauna. However, this is not unexpected news, as we have been anticipating that the virus would reach our shores. We hope it has not, but this virus has the ability to spread far and wide.

This strain of bird flu has caused huge die-offs of birds and sea mammals, particularly seals, sealions and fur seals, across many countries. Ironically, this news follows recent reporting of the confirmation of approximately 13,000 southern elephant seal pup deaths found on Heard Island last year.

I sincerely hope it is not the deadly avian flu strain, but if it is, we must do everything we can to try to contain the spread. Of course, this is going to be difficult given our huge coastline. If it cannot be contained, then we would expect to see more shorebird deaths in WA over the coming days and weeks, and then expect it to move easterly into other areas in Australia. 

My concerns are that if the H5N1 avian flu virus is confirmed, it will pose a huge risk to some of our more endangered shorebirds, some of our coastal raptors, and our precious, unique, endemic and endangered Australian sea lions, whose population is precarious. Furthermore, we don’t have much of an idea how it might affect our unique marsupial populations, particularly scavengers like Tasmanian devils. 

Thanks to the amazing work done by Wildlife Health Australia, there are plans in place to minimise the effects of the virus once it arrives. However, we all need to do whatever we can to prevent the spread of the disease, protect ourselves and our poultry industry, and attempt to put preventative measures in place. We may need to think outside of the conventional, standard control measures to protect our special and often unique wild animals."

"Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (H5 bird flu) could devastate wild Australian bird populations and marine mammals such as fur seals and sea lions, as well as the poultry industry in Australia.

In some instances, it has caused significant global population declines in species, including those already threatened with extinction. Its suspected detection in Western Australia is therefore of significant concern. The details around the suspected case in WA are still being resolved.

The detection of the virus in migratory southern ocean seabirds, especially skuas, arriving in Australia is consistent with expected transmission pathways for H5 bird flu into Australia at this time of year.

At this stage, however, there is little point speculating on its potential impacts.

Australia has thankfully been free of H5 bird flu to date and has benefited from lessons learned from elsewhere in the world where this virus has spread widely. The government, alongside scientists, have developed protocols and refined surveillance approaches for this exact scenario, which is now unfolding."

"The Australian Government has reported a suspected case of H5 avian influenza in WA on Friday. If it is confirmed as the H5N1 strain by the CSIRO over the weekend, this represents the first detection of the H5N1 virus on mainland Australia, following a confirmed outbreak on Heard Island in late 2025.

H5N1, commonly known as 'bird flu', is a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that has spread widely across the globe. This strain differs from previous H7 viruses that have caused outbreaks in Australia. Australia has successfully managed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks before and is well prepared to respond, should it be confirmed as H5N1 avian influenza.

The risk to human health remains low. Globally, human infections with H5N1 are rare, and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

Australia maintains robust biosecurity systems to protect agriculture and human health. Ongoing surveillance by Wildlife Health Australia plays a critical role in the early detection of avian influenza in wild bird populations. Members of the public should avoid contact with sick or dead birds and report unusual animal symptoms to authorities. Farmers are advised to minimise contact between domestic poultry and wild birds wherever possible."

"The report of a suspected H5 avian influenza detection in a migratory bird in Western Australia is something that warrants close attention, but it is not entirely unexpected given the extent of global spread of this virus and its detection previously in countries close to Australia.

This detection highlights some of the strengths of our surveillance activities, but further work remains to be done to firstly confirm it is indeed the H5 bird flu strain of particular concern, and if so, the extent to which it is present in this area. There seems to be no concern of mass bird mortality or illness in the area, so even if detected, the impact is likely to be minimal at this point in time.

From a human health perspective, the current risk to the general public remains low. Australia and other countries have been preparing for this possibility for some time, including work on pandemic preparedness and the development of human vaccines should they ever be required.

For most Australians, the most important thing they can do right now is ensure they are up to date with their annual influenza vaccination, as we head into the influenza season. If you find sick or injured birds, be sure to avoid making contact with them and report it to the relevant authorities to assist with ongoing surveillance. While the situation deserves careful monitoring, there is no reason for alarm based on the information currently available."

"Suspected H5 Bird-flu in Australia
Australia has had previous outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry, but historically these have involved other subtypes, particularly H7 viruses, rather than the globally dominant H5N1 lineage. The country’s first reported human H5N1 case in 2024 was travel-associated, in a child who likely acquired the infection overseas and later recovered. More recently, H5 bird flu was confirmed in wildlife on Heard Island, Australia’s remote sub-Antarctic external territory. What has been missing, until now, is evidence of H5 on the Australian mainland.

A suspected H5 detection in a sick migratory bird in southern Western Australia is therefore not a surprise, but it is significant. If confirmed, it would represent a major biosecurity threshold: the likely arrival of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza on mainland Australia after years of global spread.

Movement and Adaptation
H5N1 is first and foremost a bird-adapted influenza A virus. In birds, especially poultry, seabirds and dense wild-bird colonies, highly pathogenic H5 viruses can spread rapidly and cause severe disease, neurological signs and sudden death. Infected birds shed virus through respiratory secretions and faeces, contaminating water, soil, feathers, carcasses and shared environments.

This is why wetlands, migratory flyways, coastal breeding sites and poultry interfaces matter. Wild birds do not respect national borders. They can carry viruses across continents, while local ecosystems determine whether an incursion burns out or becomes established.

Influenza also has a genetic advantage: it is an RNA virus with a segmented genome. That means it can accumulate mutations over time and, when two influenza viruses infect the same host, potentially reassort by exchanging gene segments. Most changes are evolutionary dead ends. But occasionally, they improve the virus’s ability to infect a new host, replicate more efficiently or transmit differently.

Pandemic Capability: Concern Without Alarm
H5N1 has pandemic potential, but it is not yet a human pandemic virus. The concern is that it is widespread in birds, increasingly detected in mammals, and capable of causing severe human disease after close exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments. The more the virus circulates in birds and mammals, the more opportunities it has to adapt.

However, pandemic capability requires several barriers to be crossed. The virus would need to replicate efficiently in human airway cells, transmit reliably through respiratory droplets or aerosols, and shift its haemagglutinin binding preference towards human-type receptors in the upper respiratory tract. At present, H5 viruses remain poorly adapted for sustained human-to-human transmission.
That is why the public-health risk to the general population remains low, while the scientific concern remains real. These two ideas can coexist.

Australia’s Immediate Risk Is Ecological and Agricultural
The most urgent threat is not hospitals filling with human H5 cases. It is the potential impact on native birds, threatened species, seabird colonies, marine mammals, backyard poultry and commercial poultry systems. Australia’s wildlife is globally unique and largely immunologically naïve to this virus.
If H5 becomes established in wild-bird networks, containment becomes far more difficult. The consequences may unfold not as a single outbreak, but as a rolling ecological event affecting wildlife, agriculture, conservation and cultural landscapes.

The next steps
The next step is not only to confirm whether this is H5. Genomic sequencing must identify the lineage, determine whether it is the globally circulating H5N1 clade, infer its likely route of introduction, and assess whether it carries mutations linked to mammalian adaptation, altered receptor binding or antiviral resistance. A single suspected bird is not a pandemic. But it is a biological signal. The right response is rapid diagnostics, genomic intelligence, wildlife and mammal surveillance, poultry protection, and clear public messaging: do not touch sick or dead birds or mammals, keep a safe distance, record the location and report through official channels. The worst response would be panic. The second worst would be complacency. H5N1 has been giving the world warning shots for years. If this is confirmed on mainland Australia, preparedness is no longer theoretical; it has become immediate."

“While this is not a reason for panic, it is something we need to take seriously.

If confirmed, the suspected detection of H5N1 bird flu in Australia would be an important development for Australia, though not unexpected, given the global spread of avian influenza.

We live in an interconnected world, where viruses can move through people, animals, wildlife and the environment in ways that do not respect borders. That is why preparedness and early warning systems matter.

Australia has been preparing for the possibility of H5N1 bird flu reaching the mainland, and the priority now is to confirm exactly what has been detected, activate preparedness plans, maintain strong surveillance, and provide clear advice to the public.

This kind of response depends on close coordination across multiple agencies and sectors, including agriculture, environment, biosecurity, public health, laboratories and government.

For most people, the risk remains low. Human infections are rare and usually linked to close contact with infected birds, animals or contaminated environments.

The simple message is: don’t touch sick or dead birds or animals. Keep your distance, record where you saw them, take a photo only if it is safe to do so, and report it through official channels.”

"The suspected detection of H5 avian influenza in Western Australia is a significant development that warrants calm, evidence-informed public communication.

From a human health infection prevention and control perspective, the current risk to the general public remains low. The likelihood of human infection is low, and there is limited evidence of human-to-human transmission with the current strain. However, almost all human cases recorded globally have resulted from exposure to infected poultry or, in the United States, dairy cattle, reinforcing the role of occupational and behavioural exposure as the primary pathway.

Poultry workers, wildlife handlers, and anyone in contact with sick or dead birds must apply rigorous standards and transmission-based precautions, including appropriate PPE (especially respiratory protection), hand hygiene, and prompt reporting of any symptoms.

The public should avoid touching or handling sick or dead birds and report clusters to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline (1800 675 888).

Influenza A viruses mutate rapidly, and although person-to-person transmission remains uncommon, this possibility cannot be ruled out as the virus continues to spread. Health authorities must ensure occupational exposure risk assessments are activated now, before any confirmation, not after. Surveillance, rapid laboratory testing, and transparent communication are the cornerstones of effective response.

This is a moment for preparedness, not panic."