Bird flu reaches Antarctica

Bird flu, which has killed millions of birds and mammals worldwide, has been confirmed on mainland Antarctica – a potential risk for the continent's penguin and marine mammal colonies

1996-97: Strain of avian influenza, known as H5N1, first detected in poultry in Guangdong, China

2005: Wild birds spread H5N1 to poultry in Africa, Middle East and Europe

2014-20: H5N6 and H5N8 virus subtypes emerge and spread widely

2021: New H5N1 strain found. Virus kills over 86m birds in U.S. and Europe alone, mainly through poultry culling.
European Food Safety Authority says epidemic is largest ever recorded on continent


1 Dec 2022: First case detected in Chile. Virus kills more than 29,000 sea birds and 20,000 marine mammals

2 Oct 2023: Virus detected in brown skuas on Bird Island, South Georgia. 100 elephant seals and fur seals die

3 Jan 2024: More than 200 gentoo penguin chicks die on Falklands Islands

4 Feb: Two cases of bird flu detected at Hope Bay

5 Feb 25: Two brown skuas infected at Primavera on mainland Antarctica

CHILE
ARGENTINA 2
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ANTARCTICA
800km  500 miles

1 2 3 4 5 


Sources: ABC News, CDC, Financial Times, Reuters
Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS