Australia reports first H5 bird flu infection in local seabird

 Australia had long remained the only continent untouched by the H5 strain of avian influenza, a virus responsible for widespread outbreaks and heavy losses among poultry and wild birds worldwide.

Since June, officials have recorded 12 H5 cases across the country, all involving migratory seabirds. The latest detection marks the first time the virus has been identified in a native Australian seabird.

Testing confirmed the infection in a greater crested tern discovered in Robe, a coastal town in South Australia.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins acknowledged the finding was concerning but said it had been anticipated given the spread of the virus globally.

Speaking at a media briefing in Hobart, Collins said there was still no indication of widespread bird deaths linked to H5 in Australia.

She also noted that authorities had found no evidence of the virus spreading to poultry, livestock or agricultural operations, and maintained that the threat to public health remains low.

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Researchers are now working to determine exactly how the bird became infected.

According to Collins, the greater crested tern inhabits coastal areas frequented by migratory seabirds that have previously tested positive for H5, making transmission between species a possible explanation.

As a precaution, the South Australian government has intensified monitoring and disease surveillance in the region where the infected bird was located.

The detection has renewed concerns among conservationists, who fear the virus could further endanger Australia's unique wildlife.

Nearly half of the country's bird species and more than four-fifths of its mammal species are found exclusively in Australia.

Globally, H5 has severely affected waterbirds, shorebirds, seabirds and birds of prey, while infections have also been confirmed in marine mammals as well as animals including cats, goats, alpacas and pigs.

Authorities have previously suggested the virus may have entered Australia through migratory birds travelling from the sub-Antarctic.

Earlier this year, scientists reported that the H5 virus killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after sweeping through a breeding colony on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands, an Australian territory in the sub-Antarctic.