H5 Bird Flu Reaches Australian Mainland Mammals

A long-nosed fur seal found dead at Beachport on South Australia's Limestone Coast has tested positive for H5 bird flu, becoming the first confirmed case of the virus killing a mammal on the Australian mainland. Australia's environment minister warned the death presages "significant losses" as the strain continues its global spread into new species and geographies. Scientists are monitoring whether the virus has begun circulating in Australian marine mammal populations, which would represent a major escalation in the country's exposure to a pathogen that has already killed millions of seabirds and thousands of marine mammals worldwide. The seal was found dead on Wednesday.