Australian authorities have confirmed the first case of the H5 avian influenza strain in a migratory bird found in Western Australia.

澳洲當局已確認在西澳洲發現的一隻候鳥身上含有 H5 禽流感病毒

The discovery of the H5N1 virus in a brown skua at Cape Le Grand National Park means the virus has now reached the last continent that was previously free of the strain. Another bird, a southern giant petrel, has also shown early positive results. Experts from the CSIRO are currently investigating how the virus arrived, although they believe that migratory patterns from the sub-Antarctic region caused the spread. This follows a serious event on Heard Island, where about 13,000 elephant seal pups died.

在 Le Grand 角國家公園的一隻棕色 skú庫亞鳥體內發現 H5N1 病毒，這意味著該病毒已到達最後一個先前未受此菌株影響的大陸。另一隻南巨鶉也顯示出初步陽性結果。CSIRO 的專家目前正在調查病毒如何傳入，儘管他們認為是亞南極地區的遷徙模式導致了傳播。此前在 Heard 島發生過嚴重事件，約有 13,000 隻象海豹幼崽死亡。

Environmental experts have emphasized that there is a high risk to local wildlife. Specifically, the black swan, Tasmanian devil, and orange-bellied parrot are considered very vulnerable. For example, black swans are at risk because they lack certain immune genes. Furthermore, officials are concerned that the virus could spread quickly through freshwater ducks, which could eventually lead to infections in commercial poultry and other wild animals.

環境專家強調，當地野生動物面臨高風險。特別是黑天鵝、塔斯馬尼亞惡魔和橙腹鸚鵡被認為非常脆弱。例如，黑天鵝因缺乏某些免疫基因而面臨風險。此外，官員擔心病毒可能會透過淡水鴨迅速傳播，最終可能導致商業家禽和其他野生動物感染。

To address this threat, the Australian government has provided $113 million for biosecurity measures. These plans include the quick removal of dead animals to prevent pollution and the start of captive breeding programs for 35 high-risk species. While Dr. Emma Grant from the La Trobe Institute asserted that the risk to humans remains low because there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, the government has asked the public to report any sick animals immediately.

為了應對這一威脅，澳洲政府已提供 1.13 億美元用於生物安全措施。這些計劃包括快速移除動物屍體以防止污染，以及為 35 種高風險物種啟動人工繁殖計劃。雖然 La Trobe 學院的 Emma Grant 博士斷言，由於沒有人傳人的證據，對人類的風險仍然較低，但政府已要求民眾立即舉報任何患病動物。

Although there have been no mass deaths on mainland Australia yet, the government remains highly alert to prevent a widespread ecological disaster.

雖然澳洲本土尚未出現大規模死亡，但政府仍保持高度警戒，以防止發生 widespread 的生態災難。