Antarctica Penguins

Antarctica Penguins

Context: Recently, the death of First penguin in the Antarctic from H5N1 bird flu raised concerns of an impending ecological disaster.

Background:
• The first penguin species suspected to have died from the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu strain in the wild is the King Penguin.
• Additionally, a Gentoo Penguin and two chicks found dead off the coast of the Falklands Islands, a subantarctic region, tested positive for the H5N1 avian flu. This marked the first confirmed detection of the virus in penguins in the Antarctic region.

About Antarctica Penguins:
• Species: There are 17 penguin species worldwide, 7 are found in Antarctica. The most common species in Antarctica include the Emperor, Adélie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo penguins.
• Habitat: Penguins are found along the coastal regions of Antarctica, where they form large colonies on rocky shores and snow and ice cliffs. They live and nest on and around the Antarctic continent and on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.
• Threats: Penguins face many threats including climate change, over-fishing, pollution, getting tangled in fishing nets, and introduced predators and diseases. Climate change is causing rapid changes to their habitat, with Antarctica’s ice-free areas predicted to expand and extreme weather events such as heatwaves becoming more frequent.

What is H5N1 Avian Influenza?
• Avian influenza or bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses.
• H5N1 avian influenza is a highly infectious and often deadly strain of the influenza virus that primarily affects birds, but can also infect humans. Virus can infect mammals from birds, a phenomenon called spillover, and rarely can spread between mammals.
• The virus is primarily found in birds such as chickens, ducks, and geese, and can be transmitted to humans who come into close contact with infected birds, either live or dead, or their secretions and excretions.
• Transmission of the virus from human to human is rare, but it is possible. Most cases of H5N1 infection in humans have occurred in individuals who had close contact with infected birds.
• There is no specific treatment for H5N1 avian influenza, but antiviral medications such as oseltamivir and zanamivir may be used to treat the symptoms of the virus.