For the first time, a lethal strain of bird flu has been identified on the mainland of Antarctica, posing a potential threat to the significant penguin colonies in the southern region, according to scientists. The H5N1 strain was detected in samples obtained from deceased skua seabirds, found near the Antarctic base Primavera by Argentine researchers. Argentina’s Higher Council for Scientific Investigation (CSIC) emphasized that this finding highlights the unprecedented incursion of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus into Antarctica, overcoming the considerable distance and natural barriers that typically isolate the continent from others.
Researchers say the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in Antarctica’s mainland is a significant threat to its unique wildlife. The area is home to 48 species of birds and 26 marine mammals that have never been exposed to the lethal form of avian influenza.
Birds and other wildlife in the region also face the risk of a spread to long-distance flying seabirds that migrate between South America and Antarctica. The OFFLU warned last week that the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in South America could cause the disease to reach islands in the Antarctic and then spread from there onto the main continent, potentially impacting rare populations of animals such as the flightless Falkland steamer duck, the Kerguelen tern, and the New Zealand sea lion.
- RELATED STORY: Know Symptoms And Prevention Tips For Measles
The discovery of the H5N1 virus in Antarctica especially worries the region’s polar penguins, which gather in tightly packed colonies and are likely vulnerable to any introduction of avian influenza. The discovery of the deadly disease could trigger mass breeding failures and lead to population declines for penguin species, such as emperors, which have already suffered due to climate change in recent years.
The scientists who made the discovery swabbed sick and dead brown skuas on Bird Island, located in South Georgia, a British overseas territory in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The swabs were then sent to Britain for testing, and the results revealed that the birds had the avian influenza virus.
Scientists believe the skuas caught the virus from migratory birds that had flown to the island from South America and then carried it with them. The skuas then passed the virus to other scavenging birds on the island, who died and were tested for the disease.
Several South American countries have been working with the OFFLU to monitor and respond to avian influenza in sub-Antarctic regions, including Antarctica’s islands. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research has urged all research stations to monitor their penguin colonies for signs of the disease and to report any suspected cases. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is a group of scientists representing all 47 member nations of the Scientific Union of Antarctic Research. The organization is responsible for monitoring and coordinating scientific work on Antarctica.