澳大利亚首次在哺乳动物中检测到H5N1禽流感病例，患者为一只长鼻毛皮海豹。1南澳大利亚和塔斯马尼亚近期分别记录了超过1000只冠鹰和超过24只小企鹅的死亡。1这一发现引发了对大规模野生动物死亡风险的担忧，也暴露了澳大利亚政府应对措施的不足。
官方风险评估于8月4日发布，较H5N1传入澳大利亚的时间已晚数周。1小企鹅疫苗接种计划已在菲利普岛启动，需分次注射，间隔数周，但澳大利亚目前尚无政府批准的哺乳动物疫苗。1联邦政府已投入A$1.13亿用于禽流感准备和应对工作，各州和地区补充投入超过2400万澳元。1然而，考虑到澳大利亚拥有超过2000种濒危物种，且受威胁哺乳动物种群自2000年以来下降超过30%的现状，现有资金规模被认为仍显不足。1评论指出，立即追加2亿澳元的防控投资成为当务之急。1
Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5N1 avian influenza in a mammal, a long-nosed fur seal, raising urgent concerns about widespread deaths among wildlife populations 1. The detection marks a critical escalation in the country's outbreak, which has already claimed over 1,000 wedge-tailed eagles in South Australia and more than 24 little penguins in Tasmania 1.
The government's response to the crisis has been characterized as inadequate and slow to mobilize. An official risk assessment was not released until August 4, several weeks after H5N1 first arrived in Australia 1. While a vaccination program for little penguins has commenced on Phillip Island, requiring two doses administered weeks apart, Australia currently has no government-approved vaccine for mammals 1. The federal government has committed A$1.13 billion for avian influenza preparedness and response, supplemented by state and territorial funding exceeding A$24 million 1, yet critics argue these measures fall short of what is needed to contain the virus's impact on vulnerable wildlife.
The scale of the threat to Australia's biodiversity cannot be overstated. The country's endangered species list exceeds 2,000 species, and populations of threatened mammals have declined by more than 30 percent since 2000 1. Calls are mounting for immediate additional funding of A$200 million specifically dedicated to bird flu prevention and control efforts 1.
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