Australian authorities have confirmed the first case of the H5N1 bird flu strain on the mainland after an infected migratory seabird was found in Western Australia.

澳洲當局在西澳洲發現一隻受感染的遷徙海鳥後，確認澳洲本土出現首宗 H5N1 禽流感病例。

The discovery took place at Cape Le Grand National Park, where a brown skua tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 strain. Another bird, a giant petrel, is currently being tested by the CSIRO laboratory. This event means that the H5N1 virus is now present on every continent. Before this, the virus was found in October 2025 in Australia's sub-Antarctic territories, where it is believed to have killed about 13,000 elephant seal pups and many king penguins.

這次發現發生在 Le Grand 角國家公園，其中一隻棕色 skú庫（brown skua）檢測呈陽性，確認感染了危險的 H5N1 病毒。另一隻巨彼得信鳥目前正由 CSIRO 實驗室進行檢測。這次事件意味著 H5N1 病毒現在已遍佈每個大洲。在此之前，該病毒於 2025 年 10 月在澳洲的亞南極領地被發現，據信導致約 13,000 隻象海豹幼獸及許多帝企鵝死亡。

In response, the government is coordinating efforts through the Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Disease. The federal government has spent $113 million on preparations, such as improving biosecurity rules and creating over 100 specific response plans for high-risk animals, including the Tasmanian devil. Although there have been no mass deaths or poultry infections so far, officials have increased monitoring to see if the virus is spreading among local wildlife or is only carried by migratory birds.

對此，政府正透過緊急動物疾病諮詢委員會協調應對工作。聯邦政府已投入 1.13 億澳元進行準備，例如改善生物安全規範，並為包括塔斯馬尼亞惡魔在內的高風險動物制定了 100 多項特定應對計劃。雖然目前尚未出現大規模死亡或家禽感染，但官員已加強監測，以確認病毒是否在本地野生動物之間傳播，或者僅由遷徙鳥類攜帶。

Public health officials emphasize that people should avoid contact with dead or sick wildlife to reduce the risk of the virus jumping to humans. While human infections are rare and usually happen only after close contact with infected animals, authorities have advised the public to follow strict biosecurity measures for pets and to report any unusual animal behavior via the official hotline.

公共衛生官員強調，民眾應避免接觸死亡或生病的野生動物，以降低病毒跨物種傳染給人類的風險。雖然人類感染病例罕見，且通常僅在與受感染動物密切接觸後發生，但當局已建議民眾對寵物採取嚴格的生物安全措施，並透過官方熱線通報任何異常的動物行為。

Australia is no longer bird flu-free and has now moved into an active surveillance phase to stop H5N1 from spreading through its wildlife and farming sectors.

澳洲不再是沒有禽流感的地區，目前已進入積極監測階段，以防止 H5N1 在野生動物和農業部門傳播。