# First Australian death of little penguin with H5 bird flu confirmed on Phillip Island

https://mins.news/en/item/22792

- The Guardian, 2026-08-15 07:01 UTC
- Health
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/15/little-penguin-found-dead-with-h5-bird-flu-on-victorias-phillip-island

> A little penguin on Victoria’s Phillip Island has died after testing positive for H5 bird flu, Australia’s first confirmed death from the virus in the species. The state government will begin vaccinating up to 5,000 penguins on Phillip Island and at Melbourne’s St Kilda beach on Monday.