The bird flu alert

Bird flu in Antarctica - could be a"catastrophe" 

Scientists in Antarctica have established that the contagious bird flu H5N1 is now present on the continent, writes The Guardian.  

 

The infection has been found on Bird Island, which belongs to British-controlled South Georgia. 

 

 The disease can pose a serious threat to both birds and seals, which have not been exposed to the infection before. It has probably been brought there by migratory birds from South America, where half a million seabirds and 20,000 sea lions have already died. 

 

Meagan Dewar, president of the Antarctic Wildlife Health Network, warns that the disease could result in "disaster" for the birds that depend on being able to reproduce in Antarctica.