Australia Records First H5N1 Case in a Mammal
Officials said the infected seal had no visible injuries, and the virus has not been detected in poultry or agriculture.
- On Saturday, Australian authorities confirmed the nation's first H5N1 case in a mammal after a long-nosed fur seal was found dead in Beachport, South Australia, approximately 310km south of Adelaide.
- Australia has recorded 298 positive H5N1 events since the outbreak began several months ago, becoming the final continent to report the virus after detection on Heard Island in late 2025.
- Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the seal's death 'does not appear to be associated with other sick or dead marine mammals,' attributing the infection to exposure to infected wild birds.
- Collins will travel to South Australia 'in the coming days' to discuss the state's response, while a vaccination program for more than 5,000 little penguins across Phillip Island began on Monday.
- The virus has yet to show up in Australia's poultry or agriculture, though authorities reported mass seabird deaths in August, marking an escalation of the outbreak that began in migratory seabirds.
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75 Articles
Avian influenza attacks in Australia. The relentless advance of this disease has put on guard the international agencies against H5N1. Thousands of marine species on the planet are already facing the blows of a biological crisis that threatens to decimate certain ecosystems already extremely fragile. Experts do not hide their concern about the aggressiveness of the new outbreak, as the agent is attacking very quickly, which shows how helpless ma…
Second Seal Feared Infected With H5 Bird Flu in Australia
A second seal is suspected of contracting H5 bird flu in South Australia, just a day after the nation’s first confirmed case of the virus in a mammal. The latest suspected case, in a long-nosed fur seal, was found at The Pages Conservation Park between Kangaroo Island and the mainland. Biological material has been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) for testing. “The samples from new suspect events have been sent to…
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