Australian authorities are currently investigating a suspected case of H5N1 avian influenza after a sick migratory bird was found in Western Australia.

澳洲當局在西澳洲發現一隻患病候鳥後，目前正在調查一起疑似 H5N1 禽流感的病例。

The situation began on June 14 at Cape Le Grand beach, where a brown skua—a bird that migrates from the sub-Antarctic—was found. Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins emphasized that initial laboratory tests in Western Australia showed a suspected positive result for bird flu; however, final confirmation is still waiting for analysis by the CSIRO. A second bird, a giant petrel, is also being tested. Although Australia has been the only continent to avoid the H5 strain until now, the government described this development as a serious but expected event given how the virus has spread globally.

事件始於 6 月 14 日在 Cape Le Grand 海灘發現了一隻從亞南極遷徙而來的棕色 skú庫亞（brown skua）。農業部長 Julie Collins 強調，西澳洲的初步實驗室測試顯示禽流感結果疑似陽性；然而，最終確認仍需等待 CSIRO 的分析結果。第二隻鳥，即是一隻巨鶿（giant petrel），也正在接受測試。雖然澳洲至今是唯一一個避免 H5 毒株影響的大洲，但政府將此次發展描述為嚴重但在預料之內，鑑於該病毒在全球的傳播情況。

Past events show that while Australia has handled previous outbreaks of other strains in poultry, the H5N1 version is more dangerous. This virus is highly infectious and has caused massive damage worldwide, including the killing of over 200 million chickens in the United States. Furthermore, the virus has shown an increasing ability to spread between different species, affecting various mammals. This was seen recently when approximately 13,000 elephant seal pups died on the Heard and McDonald Islands.

過去的事件顯示，雖然澳洲處理過先前家禽中其他毒株的爆發，但 H5N1 版本更為危險。這種病毒具有高度傳染性，在全球造成巨大損害，包括美國撲殺了超過 2 億隻雞。此外，該病毒在不同物種之間傳播的能力日益增加，影響了多種哺乳動物。近期在 Heard 和 McDonald 島上約 13,000 隻象海豹幼獸死亡便印證了這一點。

Experts are very concerned about the impact on nature. Dr. Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council asserted that a confirmed H5N1 presence would be a major test for the country's response systems, as it could lead to a catastrophic drop in native bird populations. To reduce these risks, the federal government has provided $113 million for preparedness and has met with state leaders to improve monitoring protocols.

專家對自然環境的影響深感憂慮。入侵物種委員會（Invasive Species Council）的 Carol Booth 博士斷言，若確認 H5N1 存在，將是對國家應對系統的一次重大考驗，因為這可能導致本土鳥類數量災難性下降。為了降低這些風險，聯邦政府已提供 1.13 億美元用於準備工作，並與各州領導人會面以完善監測方案。

The Australian government continues to monitor the situation and is waiting for final laboratory results, while advising the public to stay away from dead wildlife.

澳洲政府將繼續監控情況並等待最終實驗室結果，同時建議大眾遠離死亡的野生動物。