澳大利亚H5禽流感疫情持续扩散。澳大利亚首席兽医官确认已有53例确诊或疑似病例[1]，较数天前的33例增加20例[2]。病毒已波及维多利亚州、西澳、南澳、新南威尔士州和昆士兰州五个州[2]。澳大利亚首席兽医官Beth Cookson表示"对人类健康的风险仍然很低"[1]。目前澳大利亚家禽和农业生产系统中暂未检测到感染[1]。
南澳大利亚州发现首起禽流感导致的大规模死亡事件，专家担忧疫情正加速扩散。周六直升机监测在鲍丁岩礁发现49只死亡的凤头燕鸥和35只患病燕鸥[2]。南澳首席兽医Skye Freuan称这可能是该病毒导致的首次大规模死亡事件[2]。病毒已在银鸥和凤头燕鸥等本地野生鸟类中检测出阳性，其中银鸥感染系澳大利亚首次发现[1]。入侵物种理事会首席执行官Jack Gough警告称，这一流行病正在"开始加速"，"镜像南美的经历——从早期检测到数字的快速增加和传播，导致野生动物大规模死亡事件"[2]。
澳大利亚政府和农业部门正加紧防控措施。病毒由候鸟于6月传入澳大利亚[3]。西澳Emergency Animal Disease Hotline自6月19日以来收到超2400份报告[1]。联邦政府已投入1.13亿澳元应对疫情[3]，7月再向各州拨款2400万澳元[3]。农民已加强生物安全措施防止病毒进入商业养殖场[3]。农业部长朱莉·柯林斯表示将"尽一切努力"保护澳大利亚野生动物、农业产业和国家经济[3]。
Australia is confronting a rapidly escalating H5 bird flu outbreak that has now confirmed or suspected 53 cases nationwide [1][2][3], spreading across at least five states including Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland [2]. The virus entered the country in June via migratory birds [3] and has since established transmission among local bird populations, including the first detection in silver gulls and large white-browed cormorants [1][3].
The outbreak reached a critical milestone when authorities discovered the country's first suspected mass mortality event linked to the virus. On Saturday, helicopter surveillance identified 49 dead and 35 sick large white-browed cormorants at Baudin Rocks near Robe in South Australia [2]. South Australia's Chief Veterinarian Skye Freuan characterized this as potentially the first large-scale die-off caused by the virus [2]. The total confirmed case count has grown by 20 cases in recent days [2]. Jack Gough, Chief Executive of the Invasive Species Council, warned that the epidemic is "beginning to accelerate," mirroring patterns seen in South America with "rapid increases in numbers and spread leading to mass mortality events in wildlife" [2].
Western Australia has demonstrated preparedness for potential spread within its borders. The state's Emergency Animal Disease Hotline has received over 2,400 reports since June 19 [1], though no infections have yet been detected in poultry or commercial agricultural production systems in Western Australia [1]. At the national level, Australia's Chief Veterinarian Beth Cookson stated that "the risk to human health remains very low" [1]. The federal government has committed AUD 113 million to the response effort [3], with an additional AUD 24 million allocated to states in July [3]. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins pledged to "do all it can" to protect Australian wildlife, the agricultural industry, and the national economy [3].