Bird flu is caused by infections that occur naturally among wild aquatic birds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected birds can transmit the virus to other animals through their saliva and other bodily discharges.
Antarctica and its offshore islands are home to “more than 100 million breeding birds, six species of pinnipeds and 17 species of cetaceans,” according to OFFLU, which warns of the possibility of “efficient virus transmission” in the region.
One of the key objectives of OFFLU, which was founded jointly in 2005 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health, is to gather data on the viruses and analyze disease patterns.
The British Antarctic Survey, which is responsible for the UK’s national scientific activities in Antarctica, operates two research stations on South Georgia, including one at Bird Island where the confirmed cases were identified.
These unprecedented cases come as several countries have experienced record outbreaks of bird flu this year. In Japan, just under 10 million birds were killed to limit the spread of the disease, putting strain on the supply of poultry and sending the price of eggs soaring.
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