Australia warns H5N1 likely to spread after first mass mortality episode

Australia's agriculture minister says H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in a group of terns found dead or sick, marking the country's first mass mortality event from the virus. Forty-nine of the birds died and thirty-five were sick, and officials are warning the disease is likely to spread further. Al Jazeera reports Australia had previously been one of the few places to avoid major H5N1 outbreaks in wild bird populations.

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