Macquarie Island: first H5 bird flu confirmation in elephant seal and gull
Australian authorities confirm detection in a new location; the risk to human health remains low.
Highly pathogenic H5 bird flu has been confirmed for the first time on Macquarie Island, according to Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer’s announcement of 16 October 2026. CSIRO’s ACDP laboratory tested samples from an elephant seal and a kelp gull.
Tasmania’s government had announced positive results on 15 October. It said the samples returned with island personnel and that this was Tasmania’s first recorded detection in a marine mammal.
The federal update states that there is no evidence of mammal-to-mammal transmission in Australia, the human-health risk remains low, and there have been no detections in Australian poultry or the agricultural production system.
Local authorities ask people to avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife and report sightings. These findings concern Australia; they are not a warning for Greece.
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