Beaches open in summer, but beware of bird flu

What will the next summer look like after an outbreak of bird flu in sea lions? Wandering the coast of Rio Negro?

Tours usually officially begin on December 8, just over two months later. The information revealed the makeup of the provincial crisis committee set up to audit the issue.

The fact is that since the first cases appeared in the Punta Bermeja sewage treatment area in Viedma, outbreaks have also occurred in other areas, such as Bahia Creek, San Antonio del Este and Sierra Grande. Today, 310 wolves died due to influenza in the coastal areas of the province. It is unclear whether infections have reached the expected peak of these events.

It took Chile (which had a similar crisis) a year to see its fauna return to balance, which is why two issues alarmed officials. Right now, Over time, this will continue and cases will increase.

The temporary situation is not small. Soon the beaches will be crowded with tourists, monitoring will become difficult, and,Although the risk of avian influenza spreading to humans is very low, preventing people and their pets from getting close to dead animals is not easy.taking into account the number of members of the public and the size of the area to be monitored.

“This is an issue we deal with every day,” admitted Dina Migani, the province’s environment and climate change minister. He also made it clear that the government was working to establish as clear a diagnosis as possible of the possible scope of the impact.

«We were advised by Marcela Uhart, expert in mammalian infectology at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (Inta) in Castral, Buenos Aires province. Samples were collected 15 days ago to determine the behavior of the virus in the ongoing outbreak in our region, and “Soon we will know how the disease develops.” Migani pointed out.

This information will be key to the design strategy. Especially if cases increase. ‘We hope this is the peak of the disease, but we don’t know’

the official stressed.

Additionally, he reported that to obtain up-to-date data on the impact in each city “A team from the Secretariat is conducting investigations at various locations,” Since last Thursday. “This way we will have more accurate information,” he stressed.

The most affected area so far is Punta Bermeja, where there is a wolf farm. This is the only one recorded in the province, as in other coastal areas habitats or isolated fauna can be found.

Current data indicate that some 13 wolves were found dead on the beach in San Antonio del Este (65 km from Las Grutas on Route 3) and 30 in the resort of El Cóndor in Viedma Wolf carcass. The number in Sierra Grande is currently unknown, although one case was recorded in Playas Doradas. Bahia Creek has also seen animal deaths due to the flu.

The final disposal of dead animals is also a research topic. Until now, people have chosen to bury them not far from where they were found, using quicklime to isolate the infection.

“That’s the best. But we also asked the provincial fire marshal to analyze whether the body could be cremated. Because of the type of burning, it’s not something that can be done with a large number of animals, but it’s not ruled out as an alternative. We also ask you to specify what type of components are needed in order to bring kits with the device to each affected commune. The secretary pointed out.

Regarding closing beaches affected by sea lion deaths, Migani ruled out that this would be a tool that could be used from now on.

«We will lift restrictions on Viedma Beach. They will only stay at the Punta Bermeja pond, which has only one access. However, we will strengthen the publicity of preventive measures in the future to make people aware of the risks and take precautions. Because it is impossible to keep coastal areas closed because there is no way to control people not adhering to this barrier.

But he reiterated, “Everything is happening day by day and we have to see how the case continues to develop.”

At the last meeting of the crisis committee, held last Tuesday, the commune of Viedma requested that reinforcements be ensured during the summer to control compliance with precautionary measures on the beaches. That said, people shouldn’t go near dead animals and don’t take pets to the beach.

In this context, they specifically raised the possibility of the participation of national forces (counties and gendarmerie) in the controls, since they considered it unlikely that the provincial environment secretariat would significantly increase the number of environmental defenders specialized in this task.

“That’s something we haven’t analyzed yet. This request can be made or more personnel can be added from our portfolio to strengthen the presence in coastal areas. But this is an issue that we will resolve between all participants in the crisis committee,” said Dina Migani.

While there is still time, many officials are currently concerned with taking actions to control the disease that are appropriate for the upcoming season.

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In Viedma, restrictions are maintained only in Punta Bermeja

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Restrictions imposed on the coastal area of ​​​​Bedma have been lifted, The exception is entry into the Punta Bermeja area, where reservations will be kept.

Regarding this issue, Gastón Gutiérrez, Minister of Services, Public Spaces and Environment, assured that the commune “From now on, restrictions on beach access will not be maintained unless the national and provincial organizations responsible for the issue tell us that beaches must be closed, and updating access bans via monitoring protocols. But if that is the case, we will ask them to support it by decree because we will not proactively shut down again,” he said.

He also confirmed that at the last meeting of the crisis committee he asked for additional auditors for the commune for the coming summer. “We ask the provincial government to require pre-trained national troops to augment this mission with additional members from their ranks.”

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San Antonio and Sierra Grande have few confirmed cases

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Avian influenza outbreak affecting sea lions in San Matias Bay It starts in San Antonio Puerto del Este, 65 kilometers from Las Grutas, along the National Highway 3.

The first case was confirmed on August 28. According to reports, the number of dead wolves is currently less than 15.

because of this Decision to further restrict access to Punta VillarinoThere are nesting sites for the species there, and the habitat has been controlled by conservationists to prevent people from disturbing them.

Tours of swimming with sea lions are also banned, with one provider in the region set to bring the experience to market starting this month.

“We are now adhering to protocols for the eventual disposal of those seemingly lifeless wolves, and Strengthen communication on preventive measures to prevent neighbors from bringing pets to the beach and get close to the carcass of the species. But so far there are few cases, so we are calm, although we are monitoring the progress,” said Nicolás Carassale, the municipal secretary who oversees the commune.

“We haven’t had discussions with the provincial government about what’s going to happen in the summer. We hope that the situation here continues to be under control, but we do not rule out raising questions about how to address transmission and control during the months when tourism is active.

Spurs officials said.

They from Sierra Grande also expressed their views on this issue.This was done by Mayor Renzo Tamburrini, who reported A report from the National Park Service is being awaited to see if they have detected marine mammal deaths in the Lobos Islands area.

“so far We are only aware of one case in Playas Doradas, which was reported between the end of August and the beginning of this month.. But we are asking for this data to get a fuller picture of the situation on the island,” said the community leader.

He also assured that Deputy Minister of Community and Environment Gisela Amestoy will attend meetings of the Provincial Crisis Committee as a community envoy.

“We have established a local crisis committee, but she will be designated to participate in the meetings proposed by the province,” Tamburini said.

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One of the suspended activities is a private provider’s planned swim with sea lions in the Punta Villarino area.