Australia confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in local mammal

Australian authorities have confirmed the country's first case of H5N1 bird flu in a mammal, a long-nosed fur seal found dead in the coastal town of Beachport, South Australia. According to the South Australia government, the seal was discovered by a member of the public on August 19.

The infected seal was one of an estimated 100,000 long-nosed fur seals in the state's waters and was found dead with no signs of injury. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said its death does not appear to be associated with other sick or dead marine mammals.

Australia has been combating the highly pathogenic influenza since it arrived in the country in June. There have been 297 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu nationwide, primarily in wild birds, with no reported cases in the country's poultry or agriculture industry. Collins stated that it is not unexpected to see infection in other wildlife, particularly in marine mammals, in areas with high infection rates in wild birds.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia, DW News, DW English (Top Stories), Free Malaysia Today, Business Recorder — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.