Bird flu reaches mainland Antarctica

It has been confirmed that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI; bird flu) has been recorded in mainland Antarctica for the first time.

On Friday 23 February, according to The Guardian, the virus was found in two dead skuas near Primavera Base, an Argentinian research station on the Antarctic peninsula. Additional suspected cases have since been reported in Brown Skua and South Polar Skuas and Kelp Gulls in Hope Bay, according to data from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

These are the first confirmed cases on the continent itself. Bird flu reached the wider Antarctic region in October last year when it was reported on sub-Antarctic islands. The virus was first detected on the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, some 1,600 km away from the continent of Antarctica. It was also found in the Falkland Islands, which is 1,000 km north-west of South Georgia.

Brown Skua is one of the species found to have bird flu in mainland Antarctica (Steve Copsey).

Penguins at risk

The virus has also been ripping through wildlife populations in the Arctic. In December, it was confirmed that the first Polar Bear had died of bird flu.

"There are many reports now of HPAI affecting several species in the Antarctic regions this season," said Matthew Dryden from the UK Health Security Agency. "It may not have been reported on the Antarctic mainland until now because of the difficulties of accessing and sampling wildlife [there]."

"The problem is how long is it going to take before it transmits to other species like penguins. We need to monitor that," said Antonio Alcamí, a researcher from the Spanish National Research Council who works at the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC, who is based at the Spanish Antarctic base and tested the carcasses. "I'm afraid I think it probably will transmit into penguins. The skuas live pretty close, and so there are many opportunities for transmission, but we will see."

Previous outbreaks in South Africa, Chile and Argentina have shown that penguins are susceptible to the virus. Since bird flu arrived in South America, more than 500,000 seabirds have died of the disease, with penguins, pelicans and boobies among the most heavily affected.