Australia vows to rein in any H5N1 birdflu after confirming first case

Australia will do all it can to curb any spread of H5N1 bird flu, Prime Minister Anthony ​Albanese said on Saturday, as the first mainland infection was confirmed ‌in a seabird a day after being detected in a remote southwestern region.

Until now, Australia has been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, although the ​virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of ​Heard Island, about 4,100 km (2,550 miles) from continental Australia.

"This ⁠is concerning," Albanese told reporters in Sydney, adding that his centre-left government ​would do "whatever we can to restrict any spread".

Testing had confirmed the bird, ​found sick near Esperance, a town about 570 km (350 miles) southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, had the deadly strain, the government said.

Human infections of ​the virus remain rare, although the highly pathogenic avian influenza has ​led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few ‌years, ⁠disrupting food supplies and driving up prices.

The virus had yet to show up in Australia's poultry or agriculture, however, said Agriculture Minister Julie Collins, though a giant petrel, another sick bird found in the same area, ​also tested positive.

"There's ​no evidence of ⁠any mass mortalities and there's no evidence that it's in our poultry or agriculture system at this ​stage," she added in televised remarks from the capital, ​Canberra.

In its ⁠efforts to tackle bird flu, Australia has tightened biosecurity measures at farms, testing shore birds for disease, vaccinating vulnerable species and war-gaming response plans.

On ⁠Friday, authorities ​had said the migratory brown skua, found ​in Western Australia's Cape Le Grand National Park, tested positive for the disease and they were ​awaiting confirmation.

-Reuters