Australia confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in local mammal
Authorities said the seal was found dead with no signs of injury as Australia records 298 H5 bird flu events since the outbreak began.
- 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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In Australia, it has been confirmed for the first time that a mammal has died from bird flu. The dead Australian fur seal, a species of seal, was found on Wednesday. Tests show that the animal was infected with H5N1, authorities report. The news comes as no surprise. In June, mass mortality of elephant seal pups, a large species of seal, was reported on the Heard and McDonald Islands. This island group belongs to Australia and is located nearly…
Australia confirms first H5 bird flu case in mammal after fur seal tests positive
MELBOURNE, Aug 23 — Australia has confirmed its first case of H5 bird flu in a mammal after a long-nosed fur seal in the state of South Australia tested positive for the virus, authorities said today, reported Xinhua.Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said the seal was found at Beachport, about 300 km south of Adelaide, South Australia’s capital.“This is sadly our first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in a mammal in Aus…
Now the contagious virus no longer only affects wild birds.
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