Australia confirms first H5N1 bird flu infection in a mammal

Australia has officially confirmed its first case of H5N1 bird flu infection in a mammal.

The infection was confirmed in a long-nosed fur seal found dead in the Beachport coastal area of South Australia.

The federal government said the virus is suspected to have spread to the seal through wild birds, and that it has so far not spread to the country's agriculture sector or farmed animals.

Officials said stopping the disease spreading among wildlife is difficult, and pointed out that the health risk to the public remains very low. Surveillance is continuing in the area where the infection was detected.

The seal case is the country's first recorded mammal infection, with the virus not previously detected in Australia's poultry or other mammals. Health authorities have urged the public not to touch dead wildlife found along the coast and to report them to the relevant officials.