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#17,630
For better than a week there have been media reports of a large die off of seals on an island in the Korsakovsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia (see map above).
Today, along with media reports of a dead cat infected with H5N1 in the same region (see below), we have confirmation of H5N1 in one of the dead seals from the local office of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor).While avian flu was strongly suspected, we've seen similar events in Russia blamed on everything from illegal garbage dumping to natural gas seepage from the seabed (see Rosselkhoznadzor Unable To Confirm Bird Flu In Dead Seals - Russia).
First, this translated report from https://www.sakhalin.kp.ru :
(Update: a reader informs me this is a bad translation, and refers to the seal)
August 22, 2023 6:59 am
Bird flu found in dead cat from Korsakovskiy district of Sakhalin
Residents are asked to report suspicious cases to Rosselkhoznadzor
Bird flu was found in a dead cat from the Korsakov district of Sakhalin. The press service of the Primorsky Interregional Department of Rosselkhoznadzor reported.
The virus was confirmed based on the results of laboratory tests conducted by the Sakhalin branch of the Primorsky Interregional Veterinary Laboratory. To confirm the diagnosis and conduct extended studies, the materials were sent to the FGBI “ARRIAH” subordinate to the Rosselkhoznadzor. The diagnosis was confirmed by the institution.
And then this longer (translated) report from the Primorsky Interregional Department of the FSVPS.
Main news 22.08.2023
Specialists of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “ARRIAH” (Vladimir), as a result of examining materials obtained from the corpse of a wild fur seal found in the Korsakov district of the Sakhalin region, have confirmed a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of subtype H 5 N 1 .
It should be noted that on August 17, according to the results of laboratory studies conducted by the Sakhalin branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Primorsk Interregional Veterinary Laboratory", RNA of the avian influenza virus type "A" was isolated in a sample of pathological material from a wild fur seal.
To confirm the diagnosis and conduct extended studies, the materials were sent to the Federal State Budgetary Institution “ARRIAH” subordinate to the Rosselkhoznadzor. The diagnosis was confirmed by the institution.
Note that due to the high ability to change the virus, avian influenza affects domestic and wild birds, many animal species and humans.
Bird flu is infected from a wild waterfowl, which is mostly asymptomatic, but for a long time can be a carrier of the virus or a bird living next to a person (common - pigeons, crows, sparrows, etc.). One of the important factors of preventive measures is the exclusion of contact between poultry and wild birds. In addition, the most effective measure is the vaccination of poultry.
The source of human infection is a sick bird, but transmission of the virus through animals is not excluded.
Symptoms of the disease include depression, lack of reaction to others, unusual behavior, impaired movement. Difficulty breathing, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, swelling and blueing of the comb and earrings in chickens are noted.
The ways of human infection are contact with a sick animal, airborne and alimentary (with food). Dangerous discharge of infected animals (expiration from the nose, eyes, feces), which, getting into the air and water, can become a source of infection when bathing. Once in the water, the virus can persist for up to one month, and at low temperatures even longer. In some cases, human infection is possible when eating meat and eggs of a sick bird without sufficient heat treatment.
To the attention of citizens: if signs of disease are detected in birds or a dead bird is found, immediately inform the Agency for Veterinary Medicine and Pedigree Animal Husbandry of the Sakhalin Region or the Primorsky Interregional Department of Rosselkhoznadzor by phone: 8 (4242) 55-70-65.
Meanwhile, there are fresh media reports of a large die off of Sea Lions in Argentina this morning. This follows reports 10 days ago from Argentina: SENASA Confirms H5N1 Sea Lion Deaths In Tierra del Fuego and reports from Chile of > 3500 marine mammal deaths in July.
The big question - still unanswered - is how this virus is managing to spread so devastatingly among marine mammals around the world.
As there are several plausible alternative routes of transmission (e.g. consumption of infected birds, `high environmental load' of the virus, etc.), mammal-to-mammal transmission - while considered a possibility - can be difficult to prove.
Where this leads is anyone's guess, but HPAI H5 currently shows no signs of retreat.But what we do know is, we are only seeing the tip of what is most certainly an ecological disaster, with potentially wide-ranging consequences.
