Lethal bird flu approaches Antarctica
Seabird experts working with the Australian Antarctic Program will travel to Antarctica this summer to monitor seabird populations for signs of the deadly avian influenza virus. Avian influenza, known as bird flu, has been around for decades but in 2020 a new highly pathogenic strain emerged (HPAI H5N1), resulting in severe disease and high mortality rates.
There have been no identified cases in Antarctica to date, but according to the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), bird flu has been detected in birds and mammals in South America, South Africa and the Arctic “so the risk is heightened that HPAI will make its way to Antarctica by way of natural migration of species during the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 Antarctic seasons.”