Queensland confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in wild seabird

Queensland has become the fourth Australian state to report a case of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu after a dead migratory petrel was found on Moreton Island, about 40 km off Brisbane. State officials confirmed the virus in the seabird, bringing the national total to 18 infections across four states. Authorities said there have been no detections in poultry and no evidence of large‑scale animal deaths, adding that the risk to human health remains low.

The state’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Allison Crook, warned that the detection was expected, stating, “We have known that a H5 bird flu detection in Queensland was a matter of when, not if.” The Department advised the public to avoid contact with dead wildlife and to report sightings to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline. The outbreak is part of a broader spread of the virus since 2021, which has killed millions of wild birds and mammals and has infected poultry, dairy farms and some farmworkers in other regions of Australia.