WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis says the state government has received a suspected positive test result for bird flu from a single giant petrel found in the Quindalup area in the South West region.
The sample has been sent to the CSIRO’s Centre for Disease Preparedness for confirmation, with Jarvis clarifying there are currently only two confirmed bird flu cases in WA, being from birds found near Esperance last week.
A dead porpoise was also found near Esperance last weekend, but was not reported to the emergency animal disease hotline and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development was unable to take a test result.
Jarvis said the single suspected positive result from the Quindalup area is an individual migratory bird from the sub-Antarctic region.
“Importantly, there have been no reports of large-scale mortalities, and no evidence that the virus has spread to native birds or wildlife,” she said.
“Since the weekend, we have also received eight negative test results from birds that were reported through the emergency animal disease hotline.
“These negative test results were from birds found in the metro area, Peel, South West, and Esperance regions.
“We now have a single new suspected positive case from the Quindalup area in the South West.”
Jarvis said a member of the public reported seeing the bird over the weekend as a result of the state’s public awareness campaign.
“A DPIRD biosecurity staff member took a sample from the bird on Sunday, which was then transported to Perth for testing,” she said.
Jarvis said the total number of reports since the first case of bird flu was confirmed on Friday was now up to 192.
“What I can tell you is there’s been 24 samples taken as of yesterday, they include the ones I’ve mentioned. So, of the 24 test results, we’ve had eight negative returns,” she said.
“We’ve obviously had the two confirmed from last week from Esperance, and now the suspected positive. So, that’s 11 of the 24 birds have been tested.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said early detection of bird flu on the south coast near Esperance has put the state “ahead of the game” in terms of a coordinated government response to a potential outbreak of the disease.
“What we have is early detection, which has really put us ahead of the game in terms of responding, making sure that we’re mitigating risks in terms of our agriculture sector, and making sure that we can get those protocols and procedures in place as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I think we’re all concerned in relation to this issue. It represents a significant risk to our wildlife.
“It represents a risk to our agriculture industry, and so that is why the Commonwealth and the state governments have been working so carefully together over the previous year or so to get our emergency response protocols and procedures in place.”
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