H5 bird flu testing update 23 August

The CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has confirmed 11 new H5 bird flu events in South Australia since yesterday’s update, including the first confirmed detection in a mammal in Australia, a long-nosed fur seal found at Beachport.

The new events include:

• Long-nosed fur seal
  • Limestone Coast – Beachport
• Gannet
  • Limestone Coast – West Range
• Greater crested tern
  • Adelaide – Christies Beach
  • Eyre Peninsula – Arno Bay
  • Fleurieu Peninsula – Clayton Bay and South Milang
  • Limestone Coast – Avenue Range and Port MacDonnell
• Little penguin
  • Kangaroo Island – D’Estrees Bay
• Silver gull
  • Fleurieu Peninsula – Goolwa
• Black-faced cormorant
  • Fleurieu Peninsula – Normanville

There have now been 194 confirmed H5 bird flu events in South Australia.

The long-nosed fur seal was found dead with no signs of injury and reported to the EAD hotline by a member of the public on Wednesday 19 August. It was not reported as a suspect detection initially as state-based testing was inconclusive. However, samples were dispatched to ACDP for urgent testing which confirmed the H5 bird flu detection.

In line with national protocols, the South Australian Government recently changed how we report on H5 bird flu detections.

Reporting is now based on events, rather than individual animal detections, where an event may involve one or more animals. The number of positive events captures all previously reported individual confirmed detections.

An interactive map is available on the H5 bird flu website with up-to-date information on event locations – see Current situation.

A further 6 suspect H5 bird flu events in South Australia have been detected since the last update, bringing the current number of suspect events to 22. These include:

• Greater crested terns
  • Eyre Peninsula – Lipson Island
  • Fleurieu Peninsula – Goolwa South
  • Yorke Peninsula – Port Stansbury
• Black-faced cormorant
  • Adelaide – Semaphore
• Sooty oystercatcher
  • Kangaroo Island – Seal Bay
• Silver gull
  • Adelaide – Semaphore

The samples from new suspect events have been sent to ACDP for confirmatory testing, with results expected to be known in the coming days.

There remain no H5 bird flu detections in poultry or other livestock. The risk to human health of H5 bird flu remains low.

Engagement with primary industries, the wildlife sector, and the broader South Australian community continues as part of the South Australian Government’s commitment to deliver the most comprehensive and effective wildlife and industry surveillance, reporting and preparedness efforts possible.

South Australians are encouraged to continue being vigilant in reporting sick and dead birds and other wildlife.

Avoid touching sick or dead birds and other wildlife. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

For the latest updates, information and advice about H5 bird flu in South Australia, including how to register for the next community forums at Golden Grove (Monday 24 August) and Port MacDonnell (Thursday 27 August), visit birdflu.sa.gov.au.

Photo: Mike Lehmann, Mike Switzerland 09:10, 25 February 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.