Tasmania Reports First H5N1 Bird Flu Case

Tasmania confirmed its first case of H5N1 avian influenza on Thursday after testing a deceased migratory brown skua found on the state's northwest coast.

This detection makes Tasmania the sixth and final Australian state to report the virus, which was first identified on the mainland in Western Australia in June.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the acquisition of 1,500 vaccine vials, while Tasmania plans to vaccinate up to 350 critically endangered orange-bellied parrots in captivity.