Scientists have confirmed the presence of a fatal strain of avian flu on Antarctica’s continent for the first time, raising concerns for the massive penguin colonies in the southern area.
The Higher Council for Scientific Investigation (CSIC) of Spain declared, “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.”
According to CSIC, samples of dead skua seabirds discovered by Argentine scientists close to the Antarctic outpost Primavera on Saturday tested positive for the virus.

The verified case on the Antarctic peninsula underscores the risk to colonies in the region from the H5N1 avian flu that has devastated bird populations worldwide in recent months. This case follows incidents on surrounding islands, particularly among gentoo penguins.

“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 said in a statement.

The Antarctic Institute in Argentina announced on Monday that the South American nation had tested samples from dead birds discovered near the Argentine station earlier in the year in collaboration with Spanish researchers, confirming the virus’s existence.

On the Antarctic continent and adjacent islands, hundreds of thousands of penguins congregate in densely populated colonies, which may facilitate the fatal virus’s easy spread.

A now-confirmed case at the research base was also shown by data from the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.

(Adapted from WionNews.com)

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