Queensland Confirms First H5N1 Bird Flu Case, Becoming Australia's Fourth Affected State

Queensland has confirmed its first case of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu after a dead petrel found on Moreton Island on July 18, 2026, tested positive. This makes Queensland the fourth Australian state to detect the virus, bringing the national total of confirmed cases to 18. While authorities report no poultry infections or large-scale animal deaths in the state, conservationists are urgently calling for a $200 million federal wildlife resilience package to protect vulnerable native species.

Queensland H5N1 bird flu detection

• ▪A dead petrel found on Moreton Island tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, marking Queensland's first confirmed case of the virus.
• ▪Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers discovered the deceased petrel on the eastern shore of Moreton Island on July 18, 2026.
• ▪CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong, Victoria, officially confirmed the positive H5N1 bird flu result on July 25, 2026.

Australian bird flu spread and statistics

• ▪Australia has confirmed 18 cases of H5N1 bird flu across four states, including 10 in Western Australia, five in South Australia, two in New South Wales, and one in Queensland.
• ▪Australia was the final continent to confirm a mainland case of H5N1 when the disease arrived in June 2026, following a late 2025 detection on Heard Island.

Poultry industry and human health impact

• ▪Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett confirmed that chicken meat and eggs remain safe to eat and encouraged continued consumer purchases.
• ▪There are no detections of H5N1 bird flu in poultry or evidence of large-scale animal deaths in Queensland, and the risk to human health remains low.

Wildlife conservation and funding responses

• ▪Invasive Species Council policy director Carol Booth and BirdLife Australia president Hugh Possingham urged the federal government to invest $200 million in a wildlife resilience package.
• ▪Queensland's Department of Primary Industries activated a full stand-up response and received more than 1,000 community reports of suspected bird flu cases.