First suspected positive case of H5 bird flu detected in Queensland

Posted Fri 24 Jul 2026 at 8:27am

Fri 24 Jul 2026 at 8:27am

Fri 24 Jul 2026 at 9:39am

The bird was found washed up on Moreton Island. (ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson)

Queensland authorities say they believe a suspected positive case of H5 bird flu has been detected in the state.

Samples from a migratory bird found washed up on Moreton Island have been sent to a CSIRO lab for confirmation.

Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said a deceased petrel was found by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff in the last 24 hours.

"We are prepared for this, there has been constant communication federally with respect to this," he said.

Mr Perrett said there had been 17 positive cases detected across Australia so far, the majority of which have been in Western Australia.

Queensland chief veterinary officer Alison Crook said it is a "similar scenario" to other cases around Australia.

Queensland chief veterinary officer Allison Cook said authorities have moved into "full stand-up" mode. (ABC News)

"It is very important for me to state that there has been no detection of H5 bird flu in poultry in Australia."

Ms Crook said the Department of Primary Industries had moved into a "full stand-up" after the detection.

She added authorities had received more than 1000 reports from the public about suspected bird flu cases.

"A significant part of our surveillance is community reporting … and I thank the community for their vigilance."

Ms Crook said a suspect positive case means the bird has tested positive for H5 bird flu at the Queensland government biosecurity laboratory, but national protocol requires the sample to be sent to the Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong, Victoria.

Confirmation is expected "in the coming days", Ms Crook said.

Mr Perrett said in a statement that the risk to human health remains unchanged.

"It is safe to continue to eat chicken meat or eggs, and I would encourage Queenslanders to purchase these products as they normally would."

Ms Crook said poultry farmers and the poultry industry had been notified and are "well prepared".

"They know what they need to do for their biosecurity and they are doing it."