Australia scans the frozen continent for early signs of deadly disease

Australian researchers are scanning the frozen wilderness of Antarctica for signs of deadly disease because the arrival of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu is considered a matter of when, not if.

They are nervous because, even thousands of kilometres from the Australian mainland, the world’s most remote continent is considered a potential infection pathway for the disease, due to the enormous distances seabirds can travel.

Bird flu can spread quickly between species, which is a risk for the wildlife in Antarctica such as these penguins and skuas. Credit: Louise Emmerson/Australian Antarctic Division.

“It will arrive at some stage, we just don’t know when, and so we need to put the preparation in now,” said Dr Louise Emmerson, a seabird ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Program.

“This is a naturally spreading virus within wild bird populations and we can’t prevent the spread of it. But what we can do is make sure that we’re not responsible for spreading it any further.”

Australia and Antarctica are the only continents to which H5N1 has not yet spread, but experts say infection is inevitable. The virus has wiped out millions of birds and tens of thousands of animals across the northern hemisphere, Southern Africa and South America. It has even entered the Antarctic Circle.

Bird flu viruses are not a new threat, but the deadliness and virility of the H5N1 strain – and the fact the virus has mutated to be fatal to mammals – has raised the alarm on the frozen continent.

When the virus hit South America, it claimed 30,000 sea lions and 18,000 southern elephant seal pups. In the Antarctic Circle, it has killed a reported 10,000 albatrosses and decimated a penguin colony.

Emmerson said Australian Antarctic Division workers on the nation’s four Antarctic and sub-Antarctic bases have ramped up biosecurity precautions to ensure they don’t spread any potential infection.

“We are being incredibly cautious that when people go between areas, even around each of our stations, they’re going to be disinfecting their boots and their equipment,” she said. “We’re encouraging people not to put things on the ground unnecessarily.”

Expeditioners to Australian Antarctic bases are monitoring and preparing for an outbreak of H5N1 strain of bird flu.Credit: Madi McLatchie/Australian Antarctic Division.

Emperor penguins and giant petrels are expected to be particularly vulnerable to the disease. There are dozens of bird species in the H5N1 firing line, as well as eight penguin species and six seal species.

Emmerson said wildlife teemed around the bases.

“We often have the penguins later in the season coming quite close to the station buildings to moult,” she said.

“Early in summer … people can walk over to have a look at the penguin colonies. There’s also skuas nearby. They breed and forage near the penguins because they actually eat them.

South American seals that prey on penguins have become infected with bird flu after eating birds carrying the virus.Credit: Barry Becker/Australian Antarctic Division.

“There are snow, cape and Antarctic petrels flying all around and Wilson storm petrels under rocks around the stations.”

If the virus breaks out among this wildlife, it could create an infection pathway from Antarctica to Australia.

“We’ve got really well-trained people who know what is normal [animal] behaviour and know what the normal number of dead animals might look like because in all of these colonies, of course, there’s going to be some dead animals,” she said.

Australian governments have a $100 million plan under way to protect Australian wildlife from H5N1, which will include vaccinating wild populations of endangered animals against an inevitable outbreak of deadly bird flu, breeding captive “insurance” populations of threatened species, and picking up carcasses to limit the spread of the disease.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said H5N1 is an ongoing risk and Antarctica was a core part of the government’s preparations for an outbreak.

“That’s why we’ve had Australian scientists down in Antarctica this summer, monitoring for signs of the virus in seabirds and seals near Mawson and Davis research stations, and near Cape Denison in the eastern sector of the Australian Antarctic Territory,” Plibersek said.

“Management protocols are in place at Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations to keep expeditions safe and reduce the risk of humans spreading the disease.”

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