Tasmania’s bird flu case count has held steady at 19 after no new positive detections were confirmed overnight.
Incident Controller Wes Ford said 15 of the 19 cases recorded so far had come from beaches and bays around Currie on King Island, with the most recent found at Grassy.
King Island’s location in Bass Strait makes it a natural landing point for birds travelling from sub-Antarctic islands.
“As a result, King Island is one of the places where we would expect to see birds that are sick or dying from bird flu,” Ford said.
“Unfortunately, we are likely to continue receiving reports of sick and dead birds on King Island and along Tasmania’s north-west coast.”
Samples have been sent to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong to help determine whether cases are linked to local transmission or interstate sources.
Ford said there had been no mass mortality event in Tasmania and no detections in poultry.
“The virus is here to stay and it is possible we will see waves of infection across Tasmania, with periods of low mortality followed by periods of increased bird deaths,” he said.
“Our priority is to limit impacts on wild bird populations and, critically, prevent the virus from entering commercial and domestic poultry flocks.”
He acknowledged the situation would be concerning for King Island residents.
“We know this is a difficult time for King Island residents and thank the community for its patience, cooperation and support as we respond to this situation,” he said.
Department staff have held community information sessions on King Island and signage about bird flu has been installed at key locations including the airport and coastal areas.
Ford urged residents to keep dogs on a leash and cats contained to prevent pets coming into contact with sick or dead birds.
Reporting will now shift from daily updates to twice-weekly unless a significant event occurs.
Tasmanians who spot sick or dead birds should call the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888.
