According to British experts, bird flu has been detected for the first time in the Antarctica region, raising concerns that the deadly virus could pose a threat to penguins and other local species.
Bird flu in Antarctica Region
Scientists were concerned that the worst outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in history would spread to Antarctica, a critical breeding ground for many birds.
The British Antarctic Survey said its scientists collected samples from dead brown skua seabirds on Bird Island in South Georgia, a British overseas territory east of South America’s tip and north of Antarctica’s main landmass.
According to British Antarctic Survey
The tests were sent to Britain and came back positive, according to a statement issued by the UK’s Polar Research Institute on Monday.
The virus was most likely spread by birds returning from their migration to South America, where there has been an outbreak of bird flu.
Visitors to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are subject to increased biosecurity measures, and scientific field work involving birds has been halted, according to the statement.
Since the virus’s discovery in 1996, there have been numerous outbreaks of bird flu.
Since mid-2021, much larger outbreaks have begun to spread southward to previously untouched areas such as South America, resulting in mass deaths among wild birds and the culling of tens of millions of poultry.
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