Categories: HEALTH

Two tourist areas in Galapagos reopen after ruling out flu cases

Council Galapagos National Park (DPNG) Two areas in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands that had restricted land travel reopened last week, reported Monday, March 18. suspected bird fluhas been discarded after corresponding analysis

DPNG recalled in a statement that on March 11, alarm About the existence of several people dead bird Some tourist attractions in the western part of the archipelago are about a thousand kilometers away from the coast of mainland Ecuador.

to this end, precautionary closure land tourism activities capo espinosa (Fernandina Island) and urbina bay (Isabela Island).

Cruise ships usually arrive at both locations and conduct landings and water activities, e.g. Kayaking and snorkeling

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«After analyzing the collected samples Technical team in the regionthe result shows that it is negative H5N1 bird fluwhich is the reason for canceling the measure,” he stressed in the letter.

for Arturo Izurietadirector Galapagos National Park, this is encouraging news. “We have the only colony of Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants in the western part of the archipelago that are still healthy, according to reports from the scientists and technicians doing the monitoring,” he said.

Controls and protocols

DPNG vs. Galapagos Biosecurity and Quarantine Agencythe Charles Darwin Foundation, and other organizations, has worked to priority areaswith the aim of observing the evolution of the virus and its impact on endemic and native bird populations of the archipelago.

This week we expect Latest results Samples collected Lobos Island and Point Pittin San Cristobal, Assessment Reopening of tourism activities in these websites.

At the same time, in Genoa and Spanish islandsmonitoring continues and activities on land remain restricted.

The Environment Agency has protocols in place to keep visitors and wildlife safe and provides facilities for authorized tourist vessels to access other sites while these sites are closed.

From September 2023

The presence H5N1 virus Galapagos Islands Occurring since September 19, 2023 first positive case.

Since then, the Ecuadorian environment department has conducted local observations and collected samples. live and dead birds There are at least 29 locations in the archipelago.

As of late last year, hotspots for the disease included the islands of Genoviza and Punta Pete on the archipelago’s easternmost island of San Cristóbal.In these two colonies footed boobies Red lizards are the most affected species, according to the national park.

Confirmation presence of virus In that sensitive natural enclave, he took extreme measures after the incident Serious impact

This is what happened to coastal wildlife in Chile and Peru last year, when thousands of specimens died from bird flu.

In 2022, avian influenza will cause serious Impact on Ecuadorian poultry farms Continental, with several focuses mainly on the Andean region.The case remains at least 1.2 million birds killed or slaughteredexcept one Infected to girlsis one of the few human cases recorded in the region.