Members of the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology of the Spanish High Council for Scientific Research confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in two dead Escua birds at the Primavera Antarctic base of the Argentine research station on the Antarctic Peninsula. For experts, the discovery suggests that bird flu has reached a continental region despite its distance and natural barriers from other continents, reflecting a “down to earth” portal.
In early January, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was also reported in polar bears, confirming the presence of the virus in the Arctic.
HPAI H5N1 2.3 clade. Since 2021, 4.4b has infected and killed millions of birds on every continent. The presence of this variant has been confirmed in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
More than 500,000 seabirds died in South America alone, including penguins, pelicans and boobies.
A research paper published in November predicted fears the virus could spread to the mainland, raising fears of mass die-offs in isolated but densely populated penguin colonies.
ABM/ABM