New South Wales (Australia's most populous state, on the country's eastern seaboard) has recorded its first suspected case of H5 bird flu after a giant petrel was found unwell near Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle. Initial testing confirmed the bird was positive for H5 influenza, with further analysis by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness still needed to verify whether it is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain. The development comes after five confirmed cases in Western Australia and South Australia, all in migratory seabirds, and authorities say there is currently no evidence of spread to poultry flocks or other wild birds.