Seal deaths raise fears about nasty strain of bird flu
Signs of a highly contagious and deadly strain of bird flu have been observed for the first time on a remote Australian island beneath Antarctica.
Scientists say the presence of H5 bird flu on Heard Island, about 4,000 kilometers southwest of Perth, has not been confirmed and they cannot be sure until more testing is done.
Australia is the only continent in the world free of the H5 strain of bird flu, which has spread to much of the world, including parts of Antarctica.
Scientists who made a research trip to the island, which is on the world heritage list, noticed unusual death rates in elephant seals in recent days.
“Australian scientists have observed signs consistent with H5 avian influenza in wildlife,” the federal departments of environment and agriculture said in a joint statement on Friday.
“It is not a confirmed detection at this stage.
“This reinforces the need for Australia to continue focusing on preparing for a pandemic.”
But departments said a confirmed detection on Heard Island in the Southern Ocean would not significantly increase the risk to mainland Australia.
They also said it was not unexpected to see signs consistent with H5 bird flu in wildlife on Heard Island, and there were no observations of unusual deaths in other species.
The virus had previously been found on the French sub-Antarctic islands of Kerguelen and Crozet, less than 450 km from Heard and McDonald islands.
Samples have been collected and will be given to the CSIRO for testing when scientists return to Australia aboard the icebreaker RSV Nuyina in mid-November.
It is expected to take several weeks to confirm the results.
The Australian government is investing more than $100 million to strengthen preparedness and improve responses to bird flu.
Bird flu has been responsible for the deaths of millions of birds worldwide, as well as elephant seals, fur seals and seabirds in Antarctica.
Heard Island is described by UNESCO as one of the world’s rarest and most intact island ecosystems.
