Penguin bird flu vaccination drive passes 1,000-dose milestone
The team vaccinating Phillip Island's little penguin population against bird flu administers more than 1,000 H5N1 doses to the vulnerable birds.
A significant milestone has been reached in the vaccination efforts for penguins on Phillip Island, Victoria. About 1,000 of the island's 40,000 little penguins have now received the H5N1 bird flu vaccine. Authorities plan to vaccinate a total of 5,000 penguins at two sites on the island. The vaccination process involves two shots given several weeks apart.
In recent weeks, hundreds of penguins have been rounded up and vaccinated nightly. Last night, the 1,000th bird was vaccinated at the Phillip Island Nature Park, just as bird flu was confirmed in a seal on South Australia, the first case in a mammal in Australia. The colony, the world's largest at 40,000 birds, could face up to 16,000 deaths in a severe outbreak.
Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes stated that the vaccine will provide some protection and possibly aid in recovery if the birds do contract the flu. Despite the challenges in handling the penguins, the team has been working efficiently, processing them as quickly as possible while ensuring their safety and health. The Nature Parks CEO, Catherine Basterfield, noted that mass vaccination of this scale is a first in the world, and the team's success is aided by the penguins' habit of returning to the same locations nightly.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
