Also reported the death of 5 fur seals in protected natural areas where the virus has already affected tens of thousands of birds.
H5N1 bird flu, which continues to be lethal for millions of birds in the worldit is also devastating the sea lion population of Peruwhere the National Service of State Protected Natural Areas (Sernanp) recorded the death of 3,487 specimens (Otaria flavescens) in seven protected areas of the coast. Authorities also reported the death of 5 fur seals (Artocephalus australis), reiterating the appeal to the population of “do not touch or approach wildlife in general, to protect the well-being and integrity of people”. In Peru, the virus was first detected in November in northern coastal pelicans but quickly spread to the country’s southern regions, killing at least 63,000 birds, including gannets, pelicans and guanayes. The virus is also affecting in Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentinaand recently there have been reports of animal deaths diagnosed with bird flu in northern Chile as well.
The fact that the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian virus (HPAI) is a threat not only to birds but also for mammals may pose a potential risk to humans. “It has currently affected several species, so we need to take precautions to avoid another pandemic for humanssaid Mariana Leguia of the Genomics Laboratory at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, who has been analyzing samples collected along the country’s coast since November. Scientists believe that the virus has been transmitted from infected birds to mammalswhile not ruling out potential mammal-to-mammal spread.
Faced with this situation, as a preventive measure, the Sernanp is installing perimeter fences in protected areas in which the access of visitors to the beaches is not limited, because they are tourist circuits, and has carried out an effective reporting on the ongoing infection in wildlife. Such a field surveillance plan has mapped the areas at risk, taking into account the places where dead animals have been found, where specialized personnel and forest rangers have adequate equipment for the management and disposal of animal carcasses, which could be infected with H5N1 avian influenza. In this way, explains Sernanp, an attempt is made to reduce the threat of contagion, as well as to minimize the exposure of the fauna present in those areas.
In February, following the recent spread of the virus in mammals and the reporting of two cases of infection in humans In Cambodia, the World Health Organization has called for enhanced surveillance in environments where humans and farmed or wild animals interact. Since H5N1 first emerged in 1996, first identified in southern China and Hong Kong, the pathogen has spread widely in wild birds and poultry, but the last year and a half has constituted the worst epidemic in birds, heavily affecting Europe, North and South America. At present, sea lions killed by the virus in Peru represent yet another mammalian species infected with the virus, following foxes and otters in the UK, mink in Spain, seals and even grizzly bears in the United States.