Published February 26,2024
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A lethal sort of chicken flu has been confirmed on the mainland of Antarctica for the primary time, scientists stated, a possible threat for the southern area’s enormous penguin colonies.
“This discovery demonstrates for the first time that the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus has reached Antarctica despite the distance and natural barriers that separate it from other continents,” Spain’s Higher Council for Scientific Investigation (CSIC) stated on Sunday.
The presence of the virus was confirmed on Saturday in samples of useless skua seabirds that have been discovered by Argentine scientists close to the Antarctic base Primavera, CSIC added.
The confirmed case on the Antarctic peninsula, coming after circumstances on islands close by, together with amongst gentoo penguins, highlights the danger to colonies within the area to the H5N1 avian flu that has decimated chicken populations around the globe in current months.
“Analysis has conclusively shown that the birds were infected with the H5 subtype of avian influenza and at least one of the dead birds contained the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus,” CSIC stated in a press release.
Argentina’s Antarctic Institute on Monday stated that the South American nation had labored with Spanish researchers to check samples from useless birds discovered earlier within the yr close to the Argentine base, which confirmed the presence of the virus.
Hundreds of hundreds of penguins collect in tightly packed colonies on the Antarctic continent and close by islands, which might allow the lethal virus to simply unfold.
Data from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research additionally confirmed a now-confirmed case on the analysis base.
Source: www.anews.com.tr