Daijiworld Media Network - Sydney

Sydney, Aug 8: The number of confirmed or presumed H5N1 bird flu cases in Australia has crossed 200, prompting Victoria to introduce fresh measures to prevent the potentially deadly strain from spreading to poultry.

The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said in its latest update that Australia had recorded 203 confirmed or presumed positive cases of H5N1 as of Saturday.

The national tally has risen sharply from 52 cases at the end of July, marking an increase of 290 per cent so far in August.

South Australia has recorded the highest number of cases among Australian states, with 147 detections. The state reported 28 new cases on Saturday, all involving wild seabirds, according to the DAFF.

Victoria has recorded the second-highest number of cases, with 43 detections. Of these, 36 birds were confirmed positive on Thursday and Friday after being found in western Victoria near the South Australian border.

The Victorian government on Friday announced that poultry producers along the state's south coast, including in Melbourne, who keep flocks of at least 50 birds will be required to house them indoors for an initial period of 14 days.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Michaela Settle said the precautionary measure was aimed at preventing the H5N1 strain from spreading among poultry.

Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson had said on Tuesday night that new detections in South Australia and Victoria had taken the national total to 102 cases at that stage, including 81 in South Australia.

Cookson said there had been no detections within Australia's agricultural system and that the risk to human health remained low.

Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt separately told ABC radio on Tuesday that Australia was likely to witness further mass mortality events linked to the virus.

The federal government on Monday confirmed Australia's first mass mortality event caused by H5N1 after a flock of greater crested terns was found dead on an island off the South Australian coast.

The H5N1 strain has previously caused significant wildlife deaths in other parts of the world. An estimated 30,000 sea lions died from the virus in South America within six months in 2022.

The virus also killed an estimated 13,359 southern elephant seal pups on Australia's Heard Island in the Southern Ocean between August 2025 and January 2026.