Antarctica: Bird flu is found for the first time in penguins – 03/13/2024 – Environment
[ad_1]
The bird flu virus was detected for the first time in penguins and cormorants in Antarctica, Chilean researchers announced on Tuesday (12).
“For the first time, positive cases were detected in Adelie penguins and Antarctic cormorants, a milestone in research into the health of wildlife in this territory,” said Chile’s Millennium Biodiversity Institute of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems.
In total, nine cases of the H5N1 virus were detected, after studying 13 breeding sites located on the Antarctic peninsula and the western coast of the so-called white continent.
Avian flu is fatal to birds and has no cure. The high mortality observed in crabs alerted scientists, who confirmed the virus on the Antarctic coast.
H5N1 was detected for the first time in Antarctica last October, when the virus was confirmed in crabs by the organization BAS (British Antarctic Survey), to which British researchers working in the region are linked.
In 2023, avian influenza killed around 1,300 Humboldt penguins, or around 10% of this bird’s population in Chile, according to Sernapesca (National Fisheries Service). Furthermore, the disease affected fifty species. A 53-year-old man also became infected and was hospitalized in serious condition for almost three months.
[ad_2]
Source link
