Authorities say local transmission of H5 bird flu virus among South Australian birds signals ‘shift in the situation’
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Donna LuWed 29 Jul 2026 21.07 EDTShare44
Australia has entered a new phase in dealing with the incursion of deadly H5N1 bird flu, with authorities confirming on Wednesday that local transmission had taken place, and Victoria confirming first case of the highly virulent strain Thursday.
“We have had what is suggestive of local transmission for the first time,” Julie Collins, the federal minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry, said on Wednesday afternoon, after 11 suspected detections were reported in South Australian birds.
“We will expect to see increased evidence and deaths of wildlife … given there has been some local transmission,” she said. “This small shift in the situation will be very disappointing to many, but is certainly not an unexpected development as the last continent to detect H5 bird flu.”
On Thursday morning, South Australia reported 13 more cases in greater crested terns.
Now that authorities believe transmission of H5 strain is occurring locally, what does this mean for Australia’s wildlife, and how bad could things get?
