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Bird flu has been evolving and migrating for 30 years. It is a far more deadly virus that has now arrived in Australia

The Guardian Environment Friday 14 August 2026, 15:00 UTC By Graham Readfearn 1 min read
Key Points

Experts say the H5N1 bird flu virus’s risk to humans is low, but fear an impeding decimation of seal populations after tens of thousands of deaths in South America and AntarcticaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn 1996, geese in poultry farms in the Guangdong province of southern China started to get sick with a virus causing “bleeding and neurological dysfunction” and then death. A strain of avian influenza had likely arrived as a relatively harmless virus in...

Experts say the H5N1 bird flu virus’s risk to humans is low, but fear an impeding decimation of seal populations after tens of thousands of deaths in South America and Antarctica

In 1996, geese in poultry farms in the Guangdong province of southern China started to get sick with a virus causing “bleeding and neurological dysfunction” and then death.

A strain of avian influenza had likely arrived as a relatively harmless virus in migrating wild birds but had morphed into something “highly pathogenic”, killing about 40% of infected geese.

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Australia (LOCATION) South America (LOCATION) AntarcticaGet (LOCATION) Guangdong (LOCATION) China (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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