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Seal case marks bird flu 'acceleration'
Australia's H5 bird flu outbreak has reached a new escalation point, with confirmation the disease has spread to mammals on the mainland for the first time.A long-nosed fur seal found dead at Beachport in South Australia has tested positive for the virus.Now a second seal is suspected to have died from the disease, in a key breeding ground off Kangaroo Island.It comes as authorities rush to vaccinate Victoria's world-renowned little penguin colony.
Featured: Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and WaterDr Skye Fruean, Chief Veterinary Officer, South AustraliaJack Gough, CEO, Invasive Species CouncilKirsty Short, Professor of Virology, University of Queensland
Backyard bird feeding could be a bird flu ‘superspreader’. An expert explains
Backyard bird feeding is one of our country’s most popular pastimes. Research reveals about half of Australian households feed wild birds, with many people doing so daily.
However, this practice could act as a superspreader event – where a disease infects an unusually high number of people or animals – of the H5N1 virus. This deadly strain of bird flu has already decimated wild bird and mammal populations worldwide. It is now spreading across Australia, most recently killing more than 1,000 crested terns and a long-nosed fur seal, the first detection in a mainland mammal.
Although many Australians feed wild birds, the practice is controversial. This is mainly due to concerns about people offering unsuitable foods and birds becoming dependent on humans.
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Bird flu suspected in second seal as ‘mass mortality’ event warned
A suspected case of H5 bird flu has been found in a seal in South Australian waters.
The suspected case, involving a long-nosed fur seal at The Pages Conservation Park, was reported with four other suspected bird cases today.
A second suspected case of H5 bird flu has been detected in a seal in Australia. Getty Images
If confirmed, it would be the second case of H5 bird flu in an Australian mammal after the virus was detected in a seal found dead at Beachport last week.
No new confirmed cases have been reported, with the state’s total of H5 bird flu events remaining at 194.
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