Recently EGG-NEWS reported on an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among the colony of breeding skuas on Bird Island located on the northeast extremity of South Georgia. In addition mortality has occurred among fulmars on Falkland Island approximately 800 miles to the west.

The infection on Bird Island has spread to marine mammals with carcasses of hundreds of elephant seals washing up on beaches. This situation is reminiscent of mortality among marine mammals along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America.

The extent of mortality from HPAI among colonies of marine mammals suggests intra-herd transmission. Since the potential for contact with human populations is limited in the remote areas where losses are occurring, zoonotic extension is not expected.  It will however be necessary to characterize the virus isolates from as many as twenty sites in Antarctica where seals have died. The objective will be to determine the number of mutations that have taken place and their possible genetic relationship to human strains of influenza.