Australia detects first case of contagious H5 bird flu (opens in new tab)

Julie Collins told a press conference the disease had been found in a migratory sea bird, a brown skua, in remote Western Australia, and the result confirmed by the national science agency. Samples from another sick bird, a giant petrel found in the same area, had also shown a suspected positive result, she said. Australia was previously the only continent where the H5 strain, which can devastate poultry and wild bird populations, had not been detected. "Whilst disappointing, this is not unex...