Scientists are urging the public not to panic after H5N1 bird flu was detected in a third state. Photo: HANDOUT/Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary
Poultry farmers have been advised to keep free-range hens inside temporarily as authorities respond to an emerging bird flu threat.
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A suspected case of the deadly H5N1 strain detected in a migratory bird in NSW suggests the virus has made it to the east coast, with five others already confirmed in Western Australia and South Australia.
Another suspected case was detected on Friday in a migratory bird in the northern Perth suburb of Mullaloo.
In response, Australia's technical body for animal health emergencies said commercial poultry producers might want to keep free-range birds indoors for the next two weeks while the biosecurity threat was fully assessed.
Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases acting chair Sam Hamilton said farmers should only consider housing hens if it was practical and did not impinge on animal welfare.
Dr Hamilton, Australia's acting chief veterinary officer, said it would be up to states and territories to endorse the body's non-mandatory recommendation.
"There have only been detections in migratory seabirds that occasionally visit Australia," he said after the emergency animal diseases committee met on Friday.
"There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
"The risk to human health remains low."
Five confirmed cases of H5N1 bird flu have been detected in wild birds in Australia. (Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS)
Burnet Institute scientific director for research translation Heidi Drummer said the suspected case in Hawks Nest, on the NSW Mid-North Coast, was significant, but there was no reason to panic.
Careful surveillance and testing were crucial as authorities tried to determine whether the detections in migratory seabirds were isolated events or part of a broader pattern of virus movement in wild bird populations, Professor Drummer said.
"It is important to be clear that detection in wild birds does not mean the virus is widespread in Australia, or that it has entered commercial poultry," she said.
The strain was first detected on the Australian mainland on June 14 in a brown skua found in Esperance, on WA's south coast.
More substantial testing is expected to confirm the NSW case at the weekend.
People are urged to avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife and contact an emergency hotline. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)
The spread among migratory birds was "largely inevitable" but Australia was still doing "a very good job" of containing bird flu, Mater Health Services director of infectious diseases Paul Griffin said.
It was now "only a matter of time" before further cases were detected in other states, and the impact on commercial bird populations could be devastating if large-scale culls were required, Professor Griffin said.
"But we do have good protocols in place … some of the largest producers have implemented more stringent measures to reduce that risk," he said.
Emma Grant, from La Trobe University's Institute for Molecular Science, said the virus could spread very quickly.
"It can also be quite severe in different animals, so what it means for the wildlife in Australia is yet to be seen," Dr Grant said.
The public has been urged to avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife, report any finds to an emergency hotline, record locations and take photos.
Australian Associated Press
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