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Experts claim chlamydia jab will save Koalas from extinction

Koala news

A chlamydia epidemic is pushing Australia’s iconic koalas closer to extinction, experts claim, with wildlife hospitals like Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland at the forefront of the battle.

The disease, which spreads through bodily fluids, causes blindness, severe infections, infertility, and painful cysts that can lead to starvation and death.

Experts estimate that around half of koalas in Queensland and New South Wales are infected, with some populations, like Elanora’s, seeing rates exceed 80%.

Efforts to combat the epidemic include a vaccine developed by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). These vaccines, in trials for over a decade, show promise in reducing deaths and improving reproduction rates, but progress is slow, with regulatory hurdles and funding shortages delaying widespread use.

According to a report in British state media, conservationists are racing against time to jab as many koalas as possible, but the high costs—up to A$7,000 per animal—and logistical challenges make widespread vaccination daunting. While the vaccines represent “a breakthrough”, experts stress that they are not a standalone solution. Without broader efforts to address habitat loss and other environmental pressures, even vaccinated koalas  face an uncertain future. “It’s death by a thousand cuts,” says Dr. Timms, underscoring the need for urgent, multi-faceted action to save the species.

Image credit: Bob Walker

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Amazing how Kiwi Girls are getting this cancer-causing jab at age 12…and according to public health nurses, they are sexually active at that age!!!
    No parental guidance whatsoever!

    • Ed Dowd released new data that added 800,000 people to the 4 million disabled we already had since the CV19 mRNA vax began. Dowd says,
      “The other thing that is going on is the increase in cancers. Science is following up . . . There is cancer causing agents in the mRNA vaccines, and we are seeing cancers on the rise. . . . There are new (medical insurance) claims among young workers, especially cancer claims.
      Insurance rates are going up across the board.

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