emirates7 - The Australian government has confirmed the first mainland case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in a migratory bird found in Western Australia (WA).

Julie Collins, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, told reporters in Canberra on Saturday that testing by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirmed that a brown skua found in a southern WA national park on 14th June had died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

It marks the first confirmed case on the Australian mainland of the highly pathogenic strain, which has spread around the world since 2020, causing the deaths of millions of birds and other animals.

A second bird, a giant petrel, was found sick nearby on Thursday and has been quarantined.