Bird flu found in polar bear in Europe for first time, on Svalbard
Officials said H5N5 was also found in a dead walrus, and the institute is investigating whether the virus is adapting to mammals.
- The Norwegian Veterinary Institute detected the H5N5 Bird Flu variant in a polar bear and a walrus on the Arctic Svalbard archipelago, marking the first time the virus has been identified in a polar bear in the region.
- Ragnhild Tonnessen, Bird Flu coordinator at the Veterinary Institute, noted these findings align with a trend of highly pathogenic Bird Flu viruses increasingly appearing in mammals across Europe.
- Samples from a male polar bear about one year old and a walrus found dead recently, roughly 1,000 km from the North Pole, confirmed the virus in brain tissue.
- From January 2025, 140 million animals died or were culled globally, while widening viral spread to the Arctic threatens vulnerable ecosystems and populations.
- The Veterinary Institute is investigating whether the virus is specifically adapted to mammals, following previous detections in 2023, as experts monitor increased transmission risks to humans.
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38 Articles
For the first time, the bird flu virus was detected in a polar bear in Europe – on the Norwegian island group Spitsbergen. The find is part of a larger development, says one expert.
A tour guide found a dead polar bear in the north of the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen. The bear died of avian flu.
Avian influenza crosses a new border in the Arctic. In Norway, a polar bear has been found dead, carrying the H5N5 variant. A disturbing spread for mammals and polar ecosystems.
Avian influenza was found in a sample taken from a male polar bear in Svalbard.
The H5N5 variant of the virus was detected in evidence taken from a male bear of about one year and from a walrus found dead in the middle of May on this archipelago located about a thousand kilometers from the North Pole.
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