A fatal strain of bird flu has been identified on Antarctica’s continent for the first time, scientists say, posing a risk to the southern region’s massive penguin colonies.
“This discovery demonstrates for the first time that the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus has reached Antarctica despite the distance and natural barriers that separate it from other continents”, Argentina’s Higher Council for Scientific Investigation (CSIC) announced on Sunday.
“The presence of the virus was confirmed on February 24 in samples of deceased skua seabirds discovered by Argentine scientists near the Antarctic base Primavera”, CSIC continued.
The verified case on the Antarctic peninsula, which follows occurrences on surrounding islands, especially among gentoo penguins, emphasizes the risk to the region’s colonies from the H5N1 avian flu, which has destroyed bird populations worldwide in recent months.
“Analysis has conclusively shown 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 CSIC added.
Hundreds of thousands of penguins congregate in densely packed colonies on the Antarctic mainland and neighboring islands, potentially allowing the fatal virus to spread rapidly.
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research also reported a now-confirmed case at the research base.
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