Australian authorities have announced plans to vaccinate bird species deemed particularly vulnerable to the H5 strain of avian flu, AFP reports.
A first case was detected in June, a first for Australia, a country that had previously been spared from the disease.
Last week, the government reported the first mass mortality event among wildlife.
As part of efforts to protect birds, authorities stated they will roll out targeted vaccination campaigns for both captive and wild species.
“Where it is possible to vaccinate wild birds, we will do so, but the priority remains vaccinating birds in captivity,” said Environment Minister Murray Watt.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins stated that Australia must prepare for further mass mortality events among birds. “The situation will continue to spread across the country,” she said.
Among the wild birds most affected by the H5 strain are waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds, and birds of prey.
Authorities had recorded 231 confirmed or suspected cases of H5 avian flu in Australia. No cases have been detected in poultry farms or the country’s agricultural sector.
Nearly half of Australia’s wild bird species and 83% of its mammals are endemic.
The H5 avian flu strain killed over 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a colony on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands, Australian scientists announced in June.
