Bird flu in Rio Negro: more than 900 sea lion deaths recorded

this Avian Influenza Is a Popularity have hit several areas of the country mar del plata until black rivera place since August 900 people died different samples sea ​​wolf.

It can be seen that from 8 weeks of continuous monitoring, the most severely affected specimens are One- and two-haired sea lions (Otaria flavescens and Arctocephalus australis).

In this sense, the exact number of dead animals in Río Negro is 935.The area with the largest number is punta bermeja, with 696 cases.The remaining deaths are: 62 lobos island60 inches pozo caleta43 inches Condor26 inches bay creek22 inches san antonio east14 inches san antonio west and 12 inches Puerto Robles/Bahia Dorada.

“With the increase in cases Avian Influenza In this province, environment and climate change secretariat It is understood that the agency said it was “increasing efforts to continue to monitor the situation.” teram.

To combat the virus, multiple organizations National level, provincial level and municipality They banded together and worked together to solve the problem permanently.

Against this worrying backdrop, a new meeting was called on Tuesday crisis committee, Hosted by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Rio Negro, Engineer Dina Migani.

Authoritative figures and technical personnel from various units participated in this meeting. ministry of health, senassa and Affected municipalities until Rio Negro Police, Argentine Navy Department and National University of Rio Negro.

At the same time, the total number of dead species Argentina Yes, as he found out database Talk to Senasa and learn about the 1,091 sea lions since the outbreak began.

“About 300 sea lions have been found dead every week for the past three weeks. Last week, most of the dead animals were found on the coast of Rio Negro,” he said. Andrea Marcos, General Coordinator of Epidemiology.

He explained that the outbreak of the pathogen began in February only among wild birds, but then spread to poultry in different provinces. Thus, for the first time, Argentina lost the “avian flu-free” category for poultry. However, it successfully reinstated the outbreak last August when it was found that outbreaks in places such as commercial farms were under control.

The great unknown that has emerged in the past few months is today How the avian flu virus spreads and affects so many sea lions. “We don’t know yet. To answer this question, experimental research is needed.” The expert replied.

He is a veterinarian and researcher Conisette, Plaza Pablo, He commented that there are several hypotheses that could explain this situation: “The most likely hypothesis is that the infection was transmitted through infected wild birds cohabiting with sea lions. This could also occur in Peru. However, it is necessary to evaluate this Whether the virus has adapted and is spreading among sea lions. This possibility has been demonstrated in other mammals. In fact, mutations were found in viruses isolated from sea lions in Chile, which may indicate some degree of adaptation. This has also been observed in minks in Spain,” he explains.

Dr. Plaza emphasized: “Another factor to consider is the persistence of the virus in the environment. Under certain salinity and temperature conditions, the virus can remain infectious for several days.”

The Provincial Ministry of Environment recommends contacting Senasa in case of suspicion or report of affected birds, this can be done through the nearest local office, using the Senasa notification app for Android devices, by sending an email to notification@senasa.gob.ar, Dial the phone number to complete. 11 5700 5704 Or by filling out the online form.