'Bad luck' for Australia's bird flu epicentre, but worse is to come
South Australia is currently the epicenter of an H5 bird flu outbreak, accounting for the majority of the country's confirmed cases. Authorities are implementing strict biosecurity measures and culling infected flocks to prevent the virus from spreading further inland.
Why it matters
The spread of H5N1 poses a significant threat to both the agricultural economy and public health, necessitating urgent containment strategies.
H5 bird flu is spreading in Australia, and wetland ducks are expected to be major spreaders of the disease to other birds. ( Supplied: Peter Rowland, PRPW )
Link copied Share Share article South Australia has been a victim of bad luck, having borne the brunt of H5 bird flu's arrival to Australia, the state's chief veterinary officer says.
To date, SA accounts for more than three quarters of Australia's confirmed bird flu cases.
That figure did not include a "mass mortality" event of an estimated 80 birds near Cape Jaffa in late July.
"Unfortunately, we were just unlucky to be the first place where this did spread into our resident birds," SA's chief veterinary officer Dr Skye Fruean told ABC News Stateline.
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