NSW ON ALERT AFTER SUSPECT H5 BIRD FLU DETECTION

 New South Wales authorities have activated their H5 bird flu response after a Giant Petrel found near Hawks Nest returned a preliminary positive test for H5 influenza.

Samples have been sent to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness for confirmation, with officials yet to determine whether it is the highly pathogenic H5 strain.

The detection is the first suspected case in a wild migratory seabird in New South Wales, with authorities stressing there have been no detections in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or any other birds in the state, and there is no evidence the virus has become established anywhere in Australia.

A State Coordination Centre has been operating from the Orange Agricultural Institute since June 19, while surveillance has been expanded with more than 500 additional staff trained to monitor for further cases.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says the detection is concerning, but says New South Wales has spent years preparing for the possibility of H5 bird flu reaching the state. The public is being urged to avoid handling sick or dead birds and to report any unusual illness or mass deaths to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.