Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), has detected a suspected case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, with authorities warning on Friday that its spread was “incredibly concerning” for agriculture and wildlife.
Australia, which remained the only continent free of the virus until June 14, has so far recorded five confirmed cases. The latest suspected case in NSW has raised the total number of confirmed and suspected cases to six.
“We are using the best available data now to target actions for our most at-risk wildlife species and important natural places,” NSW Chief Veterinary Officer Jo Coombe told reporters.
