Breaking: Bird flu detected in second spot in Tasmania
A crested tern near Currie on King Island was reported to the emergency hotline on Thursday and tested positive overnight.
The H5 strain of bird flu has been detected in a crested tern on King Island, Tasmania, marking the second confirmed case of the virus in the state. The bird was collected by Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Tasmania staff and tested overnight, confirming the presence of the H5N1 strain. The bird had been reported through the Emergency Animal Disease hotline, with two more crested terns from the same location also reported.
Test results are expected on Saturday. Premier Jeremy Rockliff thanked the community and NRE staff for their swift response, acknowledging that the arrival of H5 bird flu in Tasmania was expected due to its global spread. The government is taking a proactive approach through surveillance activities, including field monitoring, sample collection, testing, aerial observations, and remote surveillance technology.
Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
