{"id":847774,"date":"2026-08-08T08:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/847774\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:40:12","slug":"nsw-records-its-first-cases-of-deadly-h5-avian-influenza-in-australian-native-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/847774\/","title":{"rendered":"NSW records its first cases of deadly H5 avian influenza in Australian native birds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New South Wales government has confirmed the state’s first cases of H5 avian influenza in Australian native birds.<\/p>\n

One bird was found dead near Narooma on the state’s south coast and the other near Wentworth in western NSW, according to the state government.<\/p>\n

Both birds were greater crested terns.<\/p>\n

“[The] birds were reported by members of the public to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline and sampled by the NSW Government’s H5 response team,” the government said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Surveillance in the impacted areas is continuing to “ensure early detection of any further cases”.<\/p>\n

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the cases were not unexpected and the state had been preparing for such an outcome.<\/p>\n

“We remain well equipped to respond to manage further impacts,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We are using the best available data and tools to target actions for our most at-risk wildlife species and important natural places.”<\/p>\n

\"Bennetts<\/p>\n

The first case of H5 bird flu in NSW was found in early July. (ABC News: Carly Cook)<\/p>\n

A total of four birds have now been infected in NSW.<\/p>\n

In early July, the first two cases<\/a> were detected in migratory petrel birds at Bennetts Beach near Port Stephens on the Mid North Coast.<\/p>\n

The government said its preparedness measures included developing plans for 34 priority sites across the state, carrying out risk assessments and mapping, and conducting information sessions with all agencies involved.<\/p>\n

“Governments are working closely with the poultry industry to strengthen biosecurity to mitigate the risk of outbreaks,” Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said.<\/p>\n

“While there have been no detections in poultry in NSW, the poultry industry has been preparing for this and is across the risks and actions required at this point.<\/p>\n

“We are continuing to work with our industry partners including key agricultural and wildlife stakeholders, ensuring the community have up-to-date information about our surveillance and response to detections of H5 bird flu.”<\/p>\n

Australian cases reach 215<\/p>\n

The total number of infections in Australia has risen to 215, including 10 new cases that were confirmed in Victoria on Saturday.<\/p>\n

“These were all from greater crested terns in south-west Victoria and Clyde in south-east Melbourne,” Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said.<\/p>\n

Bird flu ‘list of doom’ <\/a><\/p>\n

Thousands of Australian species have been ranked by threat level as the deadly H5 bird flu spreads.<\/p>\n

South Australia has been hit the hardest by the virus, with Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins earlier in the week confirming the state’s first mass mortality.<\/p>\n

“Sadly, we do know that once the H5 bird flu is spreading in wildlife and the natural environment, it is not possible to avoid significant losses, which is what we’re starting to see now,” she said at the time.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the Royal Adelaide Show announced it would go ahead in September without bird and poultry exhibits.<\/p>\n

Anyone who sees a dead or sick bird is asked not to touch it and report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New South Wales government has confirmed the state’s first cases of H5 avian influenza in Australian native…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":823098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,1845,399038,374497,418403,418404,44],"class_list":["post-847774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bird-flu","tag-greater-crested-terns","tag-h5-avian-influenza","tag-h5-response-team","tag-native-australian-birds-test-positive-for-bird-flu-in-nsw","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/823098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}