Australian States and Territories have been given just days to hand over a high-stakes hit list of priority native birds set to receive emergency H5 bird flu jabs before the deadly virus wipes out native species.

The vaccinations come as the super-strain tears through Australia’s wild bird populations, putting the nation’s livestock and poultry industries on high alert.

The initial roll out will focus on vulnerable species in captivity, such as those in zoos and managed collections, identified by each jurisdiction based on conservation risk and scientific advice.

The Federal Government will spend about $2 million on roughly 1500 vials to support the initial phase of the vaccination program.

Officials say they cannot put a figure on how many birds will be vaccinated because each species will need different levels of dosage and rounds of vaccination depending on their size.

Although the risk to human health remains low and Australia’s livestock and poultry remain unaffected, migratory birds have caused mass deaths and detections across several States.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there are 236 suspected or confirmed detections of H5 bird flu in Australia as of Tuesday.

South Australia had recorded the most with 163 cases, followed by 58 in Victoria, 10 in Western Australia, four in New South Wales, and one in Queensland.

“We can’t stop the virus spreading amongst wild birds. We can take action to protect the species most at risk. Vaccination is now part of that response,” she said.

“As I’ve said for some time, the arrival of the H5 bird flu in Australia was not unexpected. We couldn’t stop the migratory birds.

“I’ve also said very clearly that Australians should expect to see sadly more spread and larger numbers of wildlife being infected.

“We have been really upfront that there will be more large mass mortalities of native birds in Australia.”

Ms Collins said that after drawing lessons from the virus’s spread overseas, which included cases where it jumped to dairy and other industries, the Government was investing $113 million to strengthen Australia’s bird flu preparedness and response.

Environment Minister Murray Watt warned the country faces a “very difficult journey” as more mass bird deaths are expected.

“As Julie has indicated, we will see more mass mortalities of birds, that will be a very distressing thing for Australians,” he said.

“As a Government we are determined not only to protect our birds as best we can, also to support Australians through what is going to be a very difficult journey.”

Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said that commercial vaccines the Government will be using had been designed for the poultry industry, so a priority would be ensuring they were safe to use on Australian native bird species.

“As you can appreciate, birds come in all different sizes, and the vaccines that we’ve got are made for poultry,” she told a Canberra press conference on Tuesday.

“Vaccines are not necessarily risk-free, and only one part of the suite of tools that we’ve got available, but a very important one that we’re starting to see applied now.

“Broad-scale vaccination in the wild is not practical or feasible, and so it is very much a tool that we’re looking to prioritise for certain captive populations and managed populations where appropriate.”

She added that there were currently no mammal-suitable vaccines against bird flu commercially available yet but that Australian officials were closely tracking international trials, including in the US, to secure access to future developments.

Shadow agriculture minister Darren Chester said the Opposition had offered the Government its support in the fight against H5 bird flu and thanked the minister for her continued updates.

“I can assure the minister and the Government, the Coalition will continue to act in a bipartisan manner to ensure that any of the risks associated with the outbreak are well managed in the interest of the incredible Australian wildlife but also our agriculture sector,” he said.

Australians who encounter sick or dead birds or other animals are being urged not to touch them and instead report sightings through the Government’s bird flu website.