Bird flu virus causes alarm: Virus is killing wildlife in South America

deadly H5N1 virus Since arriving in South America in 2022, avian influenza is spreading more vigorously among wild birds and marine mammals than ever before, increasing the risk of it becoming an epidemic. main threats For humans, according to interviews with several scientists.

Even more worrying is evidence that the disease, once largely restricted to birds, now appears to be spreading among mammals.

The virus has killed several dolphins in Chile and Peru, some 50,000 seals and sea lions along the coast, and at least 500,000 birds across the region.

To confirm Transmission among mammalsscientists may have to test live animals for infection.

“This has almost certainly happened,” said Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “Without mammal-to-mammal transmission, it’s difficult to explain some of these large-scale infections and deaths.”

This strain has appeared in dozens of bird speciesScientists tell us that includes some migratory viruses that can spread them beyond the region Reuters

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As climate change intensifies, animals will be forced to move to new territories, mix with each other in new ways, and potentially increase the chances that viruses will continue to mutate.

“It’s only a matter of time before the first South American strain is discovered in North America,” said Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez, a viral ecologist at the University of Copenhagen.

Growing concerns prompted the 35 countries of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to convene a meeting of regional health experts and officials in Rio de Janeiro.

Source www.vozdeamerica.com