H5N1 in Antarctica
The H5N1 virus was identified in brown skuas (Stercoarius antarcticus), a type of scavenging bird, on Bird Island, a part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. These migratory birds likely carried the virus from South America, where avian influenza has already caused significant fatalities among seabirds and sea lions, with around 500,000 seabirds and 20,000 sea lions in Chile and Peru reported as casualties.
Situated several hundred miles off the southeast coast of the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands), Bird Island is widely acknowledged as one of the most diverse areas for wildlife on the planet. It is the habitat of roughly 50,000 breeding pairs of penguins and an impressive 65,000 pairs of fur seals. Additionally, the island serves as a sanctuary for many endangered bird species. The introduction of avian flu into this delicate ecosystem has the potential to result in disastrous breeding failures and mortality events.
