Native birds in captivity to be vaccinated against H5 bird flu as Australia prepares for more mass mortalities

Federal government also hopes to vaccinate some wild birds but admits catching them once, let alone twice for both doses, is ‘difficult’ Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Vaccinations against H5 bird flu will be rolled out for Australian native bird species in captivity as the deadly virus continues to spread across the country. The federal agriculture minister, Julie Collins, said on Tuesday that target native species in captivity would be prioritised with the first vaccinations to commence “in the coming days and weeks”. Collins said state governments would manage the program and announce the target species soon. “We’ve been very clear that we cannot stop the H5 bird flu from spreading among wild birds, but we can take action to protect the species most at risk,” the minister said. “Vaccination is now part of that response.” Collins warned Australians they would continue to see “more spread and larger numbers – particularly of dead birds and mass mortalities around the country”. The vaccination program would focus on captive species such as endangered birds that were part of conservation breeding programs in zoos and other facilities. The federal environ