Scientists confirmed that the avian flu had reached Antarctica’s mainland for the first time, threatening the lives of penguins.
According to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the H5N1 virus was found in two dead scavenging birds near Primavera Base, the Argentinian scientific research station on the Antarctic peninsula, and several other suspected cases were also reported.
The dead birds called skuas, were found by Argentinian scientists and were later sent to scientists from the Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa in Madrid to detect the cause of death.
The scientists believe that the virus must have entered Antarctica peninsula through migratory birds last year.
“The problem is how long is it going to take before it transmits to other species like penguins. We need to monitor that,” a Spanish scientist said. “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.”
In a research paper published last year, researchers warned that, “If the virus does start to cause mass mortality events across penguin colonies, it could signal one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times.”
The avian flu virus had killed millions of birds globally, except in Oceania, since 2021. It was first detected on the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, about 1,000 miles away from Antarctica. Initially, it was believed that the flu affected only birds such as gulls, skuas and terns, but later it was found in albatross, penguins and southern fulmars.
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