CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of H5N1 bird flu cases in Australia on Saturday surpassed 200 as the southeastern state of Victoria introduced new measures to stop the deadly strain from spreading to poultry.

The outbreaks of avian influenza in Australian have prompte the culling of over 500,000 chickens so far. (Photo: CFP)

The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said in an update that there had been 203 confirmed or presumed positive cases of the H5N1 strain in Australia as of Saturday.

The number of confirmed cases in Australia has increased by 290 percent so far in August from 52 at the end of July.

Of the total cases, 147 have been detected in South Australia (SA), including 28 new cases that were confirmed on Saturday.

The DAFF said all 28 new cases in SA were in wild seabirds.

Victoria has had the second-most cases of any Australian state with 43, including 36 birds that were confirmed on Thursday and Friday after being found in the state's west near the border with SA.

The Victorian government on Friday announced that poultry producers along the state's south coast, including in Melbourne, with a flock of at least 50 birds, will be required to house them indoors for an initial period of 14 days.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Michaela Settle said the government hopes the precautionary measure will prevent the spread of the H5N1 strain.