The stamp of death left by bird flu on beautiful Pacific beaches

The South American Pacific coast has become in recent weeks a sad and dangerous animal cemetery plagued by thousands of corpses of sea ​​lionspenguins and other birds victims of an acute outbreak of bird flu that threatens to cause an environmental disaster in native marine species of the region.

In Chile, where the first infected wild bird was detected in December, 1,535 sea lions and 730 Humboldt penguins died from the virus at the end of March, especially in the northern regions.

In Peru, the authorities estimate that at least 5,000 sea lions have died infected, which represents a 5 % of the particular species of funny wolves (Otaria flavescens), while in Ecuador some animals of this species have appeared stranded on beaches in the southern provinces of Santa Elena and El Oro, on the border with Peru, although no cases were officially reported in fauna. wild.

“There is still no evidence to indicate that the virus can be transmitted between individuals of the sea lion species or of any species of mammals, so it is possible to speculate that these events have probably occurred due to infection of sea lions at being in environments where there is a very high viral load, due to the presence of the virus in wild birds”the specialist in Veterinary Epidemiology from the University of Chile Christopher Hamilton-West told EFE.

The pelican, the most affected species

In the city of Valdivia, in southern Chile, more than 250 black-necked swans died from the virus, a mortality that could affect until the fifteen % of the population of this species, according to experts in the area. The epidemic has already reached the southern tip of the country, in the Magallanes region, where the infection from a chicken was recorded.

According to the Peruvian National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor), since the first outbreak began, they have died near the 40% of pelicans that inhabited the coasts of the Andean country. For its part, the National Service of Protected Natural Areas (Sernanp) estimates that they have died of fifteen % to the twenty % of those that inhabited these areas, for which reason they ask that the species be recategorized into “critically endangered”.

“This virus has evolved in recent decades and may remain in circulation in some species of wild birds, without causing severe disease and high levels of mortality. During the last months, in the epidemic registered both in Central and South America, perhaps the most affected species, in terms of mortality levels, is the pelican and the seagulls”Hamilton-West noted.

In Ecuador, although more than 1.2 million dead or euthanized birds have been reported due to the appearance of various outbreaks in industrial farms, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition told EFE, “No massive mortality or wolves with symptoms suggestive of avian influenza have been recorded, and no positive cases have been diagnosed.”

The Peruvian biologist and professor at the César Vallejo University, Paolo Amaya, reported that the animals are becoming infected more easily because they are weaker due to lack of food, since the El Niño phenomenon causes the water to warm up and makes the small fish look for colder waters, which leads to a lack of food for their predators that must go to other destinations.

an unprecedented situation

”For Hamilton-West, it is an “unprecedented” situation since for the first time a “highly pathogenic” avian influenza virus has entered South America. and of Eurasian origin.

”We do not know if when the migratory birds return to North America they will stop circulating in the region or if they will find species of wild birds endemic to South America that can act as a reservoir, nor do we know if these intercontinental movements (from Eurasia to America) will be recurring events“, accurate.

The avian flu alarms went off in Peru in November, when the first cases of pelicans killed by this virus were reported, and in December the epidemiological alert was given after the contagion of domestic birds.

Since then, there have been difficulties in obtaining valid samples from animals in the wild, raising awareness among the population and establishing action protocols.

In the Ecuadorian territory, the alert is maintained, especially in the Galapagos Islands, declared a natural heritage of humanity, a place where tens of thousands of sea lions live and various migratory birds pass through.

A challenge for the authorities

Transmission is assuming “a challenge” For the authorities, who are facing a new challenge, Serfor explained to EFE about the infection, which has killed a good part of the pelicans in Peru.

The director of Sustainable Management of Wildlife Heritage of the organization, Enrique Michaud, reported that they are studying the variable behavior of the virus because it could jump to other species and warned that the greatest concern is that it jumps to humans.

“The main way to avoid infection of species of birds and other wild animals is to avoid contact with infected animals and this is achieved by timely communication to the veterinary services of the presence of birds or other species with signs of disease or dead”comments the Chilean epidemiologist.

According to him, infected bodies must be “removed or destroyed”, “with the proper personal protection equipment and following the biosafety protocols”, to decrease the viral load in the environment.

In January, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned of an increase in outbreaks of the virus in birds in ten Latin American countries and two months later, in March, the first case of this disease in a human was reported, which was transmitted to a 9-year-old girl from a village in Ecuador. The virus was first detected on the continent in December 2014.

Avian influenza has been in circulation for more than two decades and, although it has never been effectively transmitted between people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), since 2003 it has jumped almost 900 times to humans.

Source: EFE