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Antarctica affected by bird flu – hunting and fishermen

Antarctica affected by bird flu – hunting and fishermen

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Seals and elephants are among the animals confirmed to carry bird flu of the same type that occurs in Sweden, among other places.

Bird flu appeared in an unexpected place – in South Georgia near Antarctica. Among others, sea elephants and birds have been affected, and now researchers are concerned about mutations that could cause it to spread to mammals.

that it British authorities Which issues information about the detection of avian influenza in birds, seals and elephant seals on the Antarctic island of South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean.

First time

The first cases were found in October and turned out to be so-called highly pathogenic avian influenza, the same type that was first detected in Sweden in 2006 and then resurfaced in 2015 and on a number of subsequent occasions.

Hit hard

Above all, elephant seals have been hit hard by the infection, and now researchers and officials are concerned about the infection spreading widely to mammals.

– My biggest fear is the mutation directed at mammals. We're not seeing it in the new samples but we have to keep monitoring, says researcher Marco Valchieri of the UK's Animal and Planet Health Agency, APHA. Watchman.

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