Queensland Confirms Australia’s Fourth State H5N1 Bird Flu Detection

SYDNEY-Queensland has become the fourth Australian state to confirm a case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus after authorities said on Saturday that a migratory seabird tested positive, expanding the country’s recorded detections as officials continue to monitor the disease’s spread in wild bird populations.

The latest case was identified in a dead petrel discovered by park rangers on Moreton Island, a wilderness area about 40 kilometres by ferry from the Queensland capital of Brisbane. The confirmation brings Australia’s total number of H5N1 infections to 18 across four states, according to state authorities.

Queensland officials said there was no evidence that the virus had spread to commercial poultry or caused large-scale animal deaths within the state. They added that the risk to human health remains low.

The confirmation follows Australia’s first mainland detection of H5N1 in June, making it the last continent to record the highly pathogenic strain on its mainland. Before that, the virus had been identified in late 2025 on Heard Island, Australia’s remote sub-Antarctic territory located about 4,100 kilometres from the mainland.

Earlier this month, the Australian government confirmed the country’s first local seabird infected with H5N1, raising concerns that the virus was beginning to establish itself more widely among native wild bird populations.

The H5N1 strain has spread extensively around the world since 2021, affecting wild birds and numerous mammal species. The outbreak has resulted in the deaths of millions of birds globally, disrupted poultry production, affected dairy farms in some countries and infected a limited number of farmworkers.

Australian authorities have intensified surveillance of wild birds following the mainland detection, with environmental and biosecurity agencies monitoring migratory species that can carry the virus over long distances. Officials have emphasised that early detection is intended to help prevent transmission into domestic poultry populations, where outbreaks can have significant economic and agricultural consequences.

Queensland authorities said ongoing monitoring would continue and urged the public to report sick or dead wild birds to relevant agencies. They reiterated that, based on current evidence, there have been no detections of H5N1 in poultry within the state and no indication of widespread animal mortality linked to the latest case.

Australia has maintained strict biosecurity measures in response to the global spread of H5N1, with state and federal authorities coordinating surveillance and response efforts as additional detections are investigated.