Three more sea lions confirmed to have died from bird flu
Two of the new cases were detected in the province of Buenos Aires and the other in the province of Río Negro
Argentina’s National Health and Food Quality Service (Senasa) confirmed on Monday that three more cases of bird flu had been detected in sea lions off the country’s Atlantic coast. The new findings were made based on laboratory tests carried out in Cl Romeco and San Blas in the province of Buenos Aires and San Antonio Este in the province of Rionegro.
Other positive cases have been found in Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego; in Antarctica; in the Punta Bermeja Nature Reserve in Rionegro; in Necochea-Quequén, Buenos Aires; in San Francisco in Punta Loyola, Cruz; in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires; and in Puerto Piramides, Chubut province.
“There were animals that were sick, dead, or dying. We counted 30 to 50 dead animals, and many more sick animals,” said Juan Isidro, a park ranger at the Punta Bermeja Nature Reserve. Isidro, who oversees the habitat of some 7,000 animals.
The first positive case was detected in Tierra del Fuego on August 11, when about 20 lifeless birds appeared along the banks of the Rio Grande.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a disease that has a great impact on poultry production, affecting not only poultry such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, but also wild birds. It can also spread to other animals, even humans. Since the end of 2021, a wave of bird flu has swept the world.
As part of the sampling protocol, determine the burial site of dead suspected animals to avoid contamination or infection of other animals or humans.
In this case, Senasa adhered to its recommendation not to handle dead animals or animals with suspicious symptoms and reviewed the reporting of neurological, digestive and/or respiratory The importance of high mortality in susceptible species. backyard. People are also advised not to travel to poultry farms or wildlife areas after exposure to dead or symptomatic animals.