Bird Flu Hits NSW: Priority Vaccinations for Rare Species

The New South Wales government has identified critically endangered regent honeyeaters and little penguins as priority species for bird flu vaccinations. This proactive measure comes after the fifth case of the deadly virus in the state was confirmed on Saturday, August 16, 2026, involving a greater crested tern found deceased near Eden on the South Coast.

Plans are being developed to inoculate captive little penguins and regent honeyeaters within NSW. However, these plans await approval from the national Animal Health Committee. The government is collaborating with institutions like Taronga Zoo, which actively breeds regent honeyeaters for wild release, given their critically low population of fewer than 400 individuals in the wild.

Experts emphasize that while the vaccine can reduce mortality, its precise effectiveness in native bird populations is not fully understood. There is a consensus that vaccines are a supplementary tool and cannot solely prevent a wider ecological catastrophe. Trials commissioned last year by the government at CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness aimed to establish appropriate dosage rates for small native bird species and assess the vaccine's safety in various captive native birds.

The spread of the virus to widely ranging species like silver gulls, dubbed "Typhoid Mary" superspreaders by experts, raises fears of extensive infection across native bird populations. Furthermore, the virus's genotype, B3.2, previously caused significant impacts on wildlife and industries along the west coast of South America and the sub-Antarctic, underscoring the severity of the current situation in Australia.