Bird flu detected in dead dolphin in South Australia

H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a dead dolphin in South Australia, marking the first case of its kind in the country, state officials announced on Friday. The cetacean was found deceased in Goolwa, located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Adelaide. While this development is new for Australia, there are reports of dolphins and porpoises contracting H5 bird flu in other parts of the world. Dolphins typically do not consume birds, but they do sometimes interact with them.

Australia has been the only continental landmass without the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and death in poultry and wild birds globally. The dolphin's consumption of a bird or close interaction with one is the likely cause of the infection. South Australia's chief veterinary officer, Skye Fruean, stated that dolphins are highly susceptible to the virus.

Additionally, the highly contagious influenza has been detected in a red fox near Adelaide, the country's first case in a land mammal. South Australia's chief veterinary officer, Beth Cookson, confirmed this, stressing that the risk to human health remains low. The presence of the H5N1 avian influenza in a dolphin and a red fox highlights the virus's ability to spread beyond its usual avian hosts, though the threat to humans is currently considered minimal.