Incident Information

Information is available on a number of current wildlife health incidents in Australia, as well as selected long-term health investigations and historic wildlife health incidents. Detailed information is available in the national electronic Wildlife Health Information System (eWHIS).

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Some recent incidents of national interest have been supplied as quick links in the side menu.

Nov, 2 2024 | Incident Information

Incident - High pathogenicity avian influenza H7 outbreaks in poultry, Victoria, NSW and ACT - May & June 2024

Outbreaks of HPAI H7 were detected in May and June 2024 in poultry in Victoria, NSW and ACT. These outbreaks have now been eradicated. In February 2025 an unrelated HPAI H7 strain was detected in Victoria.

The H7 HPAI strains associated with the 2024 outbreaks have a distinctly different epidemiology from H5 2.3.4.4b strain (H5 bird flu) that is impacting wild birds, mammals (both wild and domestic) and poultry overseas.

There were no reports of mass wild bird deaths in relation to the 2024 HPAI H7 outbreaks in Vic, NSW and ACT. HPAI has never been detected in free-ranging wild birds in Australia. Enhanced surveillance and monitoring of wild bird populations will continue. Wildlife Health Australia supports wild bird surveillance for avian influenza (AI) by coordinating the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird (NAIWB) Steering Group. NAIWB members regularly undertake testing of wild birds for avian influenza. Since 2005, over 154,000 tests have been undertaken and no HPAI viruses have been identified in Australian wild birds. This surveillance does continue to show presence of a wide range of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus strains in Australian wild birds, without signs of disease. Sometimes LPAI viruses can spill over from wild birds into poultry populations and may then mutate into HPAI strains within poultry. Worldwide, HPAI H7 viruses are very rarely detected in wild birds. See also WHA update on avian influenza and wild birds, WHA Fact Sheet: Avian influenza and wild birds or Wild Bird Surveillance for more information.

In the current situation, where HPAI H5 2.3.4.4b has not been detected in Australia, please continue to practice good biosecurity and report sick and dead wild birds as per our advice document for veterinary personnel. See the National Wildlife Biosecurity Guidelines and the National Zoo Biosecurity Manual for more information on general biosecurity practices to manage infectious disease risk in wildlife, domestic animals and humans.

Any unusual illness or death in wild birds should be reported via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

For more information on the 2024 HPAI H7 outbreak in poultry, see:

For more information on H5N1 2.3.4.4b and H5 bird flu, see the WHA incident information page High pathogenicity avian influenza (H5 bird flu) which provides links to information sheets, videos, toolkits and other resources.

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