Bird flu reaches mainland Antarctica for the first time – 02/26/2024 – Environment
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A deadly strain of bird flu has been confirmed on mainland Antarctica for the first time, scientists say, posing a risk to the southern region’s huge penguin colonies.
“This discovery demonstrates, for the first time, that the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus [conhecido pela sigla IAAP] arrived in Antarctica, despite the distance and natural barriers that separate it from other continents”, said the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), a Spanish body, on Sunday (25).
The presence of the virus was confirmed on February 24 in samples from dead crabs, which were found by Argentine scientists near the Primavera Antarctic base, the council added.
The arrival of the virus on the Antarctic peninsula, following cases on nearby islands, including among gentoo penguins, highlights the risk of H5N1 bird flu, which has decimated bird populations around the world in recent months.
“The analysis conclusively showed that the birds were infected with the H5 subtype of avian influenza, and at least one of the dead birds contained the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus,” the council said in a statement.
Hundreds of thousands of penguins congregate in very compact colonies on the Antarctic continent and nearby islands, which can allow this deadly virus to easily spread.
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