Suspected bird flu case detected in SA but yet to be confirmed as H5

Tue 7 Jul 2026 at 3:29pm

Tue 7 Jul 2026 at 3:29pm

In short:

Testing is currently being conducted after a second suspected case of H5 bird flu was detected in South Australia.

The giant petrel at Hardwicke Bay on Yorke Peninsula was reported on Friday, and subsequent testing at a state lab has revealed a low viral load.

What's next?

SA authorities say the results of further testing at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong will be known in the next 24 to 48 hours.

A second potential case of H5 bird flu in South Australia has been submitted for further testing, with authorities describing it as an unconfirmed but "suspected" detection in a migratory seabird.

The SA government said the potential case had been identified in a giant petrel at Hardwicke Bay near Point Turton on the western side of the Yorke Peninsula.

Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) chief veterinary officer Skye Fruean said the case was reported by a member of the public on Friday.

She said samples had been tested at an SA lab and were found to contain "quite low levels of virus, which is why we are not considering a confirmed case at this point".

But she said the outcome of further testing at the CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong would be known in the next 24 to 48 hours.

"We're confident we're dealing with an infection of bird flu. We just don't know if it's the H5 bird flu that we're really concerned about,"

she said.

"It's come into the lab over the weekend and had some testing initially done.

"We've had to do additional testing because of that low viral load and now we've got the suspicion through those initial results from our own state lab."

SA has so far had one confirmed case of H5 bird flu, but the government has stressed the disease has not been found in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or "any other birds in South Australia".

Dr Fruean described the latest potential detection as an "isolated case" and said the giant petrel was identified as sick when initially reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.

"We were concerned enough to send someone out to have a look so we had some staff go out and have a look," she said.

"They assessed the bird and it was sick. It was euthanised and sent to the lab."

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said while the state remained with only one confirmed case from June 24, and also in a giant petrel, there had been 1,200 reports to authorities, which were being triaged.

She said the latest potential case had not led to any further detections.

"When that report came in and the bird was collected, those who were collecting also surveyed nearby to see if there were any other dead birds or sick birds," she said.

"My advice is there were no other sick birds that were located in that vicinity."

Across the country, there has been one confirmed case of the highly contagious bird flu in South Australia, with one in New South Wales and five cases in Western Australia.