H5N1: The Next Pandemic?

[Orphia Nay]

First H5N1 bird flu death recorded in Phillip Island penguins

A Phillip Island penguin has died from H5N1 bird flu in the first detection among the island's little penguin colony, ahead of vaccinations beginning on Monday.

www.abc.net.au

The first Little Penguin has died of the H5N1 strain in Victoria, Australia, at Phillip Island.

Vaccination of the Little Penguins there begins tomorrow, but they need 2 doses.

 

[novaphile]

First H5N1 bird flu death recorded in Phillip Island penguins

A Phillip Island penguin has died from H5N1 bird flu in the first detection among the island's little penguin colony, ahead of vaccinations beginning on Monday.

www.abc.net.au

The first Little Penguin has died of the H5N1 strain in Victoria, Australia, at Phillip Island.

Vaccination of the Little Penguins there begins tomorrow, but they need 2 doses.

Going to be managed by giving each bird an RFID chip.

Personally I would have gone for bio-degradable coloured leg bands, red for one dose, yellow for two.

(That way you could see from a distance which birds have been vaccinated.)

 

[EHocking]

Going to be managed by giving each bird an RFID chip.

Personally I would have gone for bio-degradable coloured leg bands, red for one dose, yellow for two.

(That way you could see from a distance which birds have been vaccinated.)

Certainly that is a much cheaper and more efficient approach for wild flocks. In their instance RFID isn’t so unwieldy as the two groups of birds (St Kilda and Phillip Island) can, and will be, herded into holding pens for vaccinations, so scanning is much less of a disadvantage. I still think you idea is the better one.

Concern is lack of vaccine. So far there are about 1500 doses available and some 5000 penguins in those two colonies that require two shots. Then add in vulnerable/endangered species in captivity that are also a priority.

FSM help us if it gets into the agriculture all sector.
I’m pretty sure the poultry industry couldn’t give two hoots about these penguins.

 

[dann]

Since Denmark is still to some extent an agricultural country, depending on the exports of meat etc., rules about husbandry tend to be fairly strict in order to secure that other countries know that they won't import diseases when they import agricultural products from Denmark. You may remember how Denmark tackled the outbreak of COVID-19 at mink farms - and it's not as if mink coats spread many diseases ...
An important thing in this context: Farmers are usually compensated by the state when they are ordered to put down all their farm animals, which makes them less prone to try to circumvent the regulations.

Ryan Hisner on bsky, Sep 27, 2026
Mink farming is a massive pandemic risk. It's insane that they are allowed to exist. Now we have an active H5N1 outbreak on a mink farm, & "state officials have no clear plan to rein it in."Imagine if uncontrolled H5N1 transmission in mink were allowed in a research lab... 1/4

The Salt Lake Tribune on bsky, Sep 27, 2026
It’s the first documented outbreak of bird flu in captive mink in the U.S., and an advocacy group is raising concerns about Utah’s response.

‘Watch them die’: Bird flu is ravaging a Utah mink farm, killing 80% of the herd. State agriculture officials have no clear plan.
It’s the first documented outbreak of bird flu in captive mink in the U.S., and an advocacy group is raising concerns about Utah’s response.
www.sltrib.com

2020 Danish mink cull (Wikipedia)

I assume RFK Jr. will mainly be interested in what happens to the carcasses after the mink have been skinned ...

 

[Planigale]

2020 Danish mink cull (Wikipedia)

I assume RFK Jr. will mainly be interested in what happens to the carcasses after the mink have been skinned ...

The concern is that ferrets (closely related to minks) are commonly used for human respiratory virus research as they respond to viruses very similarly to humans. A virus that is spreading in minks is very close to spreading in humans,

 

[dann]

US, EU object to UN declaration on future pandemics (CIDRAP, Sep 28, 2026)
“The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System, under negotiation, is critical to unlocking the full potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. There is no time to waste,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said in a WHO news release.
US, EU objections
But US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD, said at the meeting that critical issues remain unresolved.
“Whether it is the inclusion of divisive ideologies that lack definitional consensus or references to an unfinished negotiation on pathogen access and benefit sharing in an agreement that failed to achieve international consensus, the United States is not in a position to support this text,” Schwartz said, according to Health Policy Watch.
A statement from the EU representative said that while the declaration offers elements that will advance PPPR, it “also contains setbacks toward our crucial, shared goal: a safer, healthier world for all.”
Among the “red lines” noted in the statement was technology transfer, which it said must be voluntary and on mutually agreed terms.
“While the text before us today falls short of our expectations and goals, the EU remains fully and unreservedly committed to the important overarching objective of the Political Declaration,” the EU said.