Antarctica's isolated population of wildlife faces an unprecedented threat: avian flu. The lethal variant of avian flu, H5N1, has made its way to populations of brown skuas on Bird Island, part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. This alarming discovery raises questions about the potentially devastating impacts on the region's unique wildlife and ecosystems that have never been in contact with the virus before.
Bird Island, located several hundred miles off the southeast coast of the Falkland Islands, is renowned as one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots. It is home to around 50,000 breeding pairs of penguins and a staggering 65,000 pairs of fur seals. The island also shelters various endangered bird species. The introduction of avian flu into this ecosystem could lead to "catastrophic breeding failure and mortality events," chair of the Antarctic Wildlife Health Network, Dr. Meagan Dewar stated earlier this year.
The notable deaths of scavenging, migrating brown skuas on Bird Island led researchers from the British Antarctic Survey to send swabs back to the UK for testing. The results confirmed the presence of H5N1 on the Antarctic island. Researchers believe it's likely that the migratory birds brought the avian flu with them from South America.
The H5N1 subtype of avian flu, classified as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is noted for its severe impact and mortality rate with poultry populations. So far this year, "over 500,000 seabirds and over 20,000 sea lions have died due to HPAI H5N1 in Peru and Chile alone," the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) reported. The current outbreak of H5N1, which started in 2021, is responsible for millions of bird deaths. Earlier this year, thousands of sea lions were found dead in South America as a result of H5N1.
South Georgia is home to a diverse array of unique species, including albatrosses, macaroni and Gentoo penguins. SCAR conducted a comprehensive risk assessment to understand the potential impact of avian flu on Antarctica and found that "skuas, gulls, fur seals and sea lions are at highest risk of HPAI infection, followed by penguins, sheathbills, giant petrels, and birds of prey."
Antarctica's lack of prior exposure to bird flu means there's no immunity among the local wildlife populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "bird flu viruses have in the past been known to sometimes infect mammals that eat (presumably infected) birds or poultry," which means the virus can jump from birds to mammals, therefore having a tremendous impact on the region's ecosystem.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
