First known case of bird flu in a porpoise

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Wednesday 30/08/2022 – A porpoise that died on a Swedish beach in June has succumbed to avian flu, in the first case identified in this type of cetacean in the world, announced the Veterinary Institute of Sweden on Wednesday.

“To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed case of avian flu in a porpoise in the world,” chief veterinary officer Elina Thorsson said in a statement.

“It is likely that the porpoise somehow came into contact with infected birds,” she explained.

At the end of June, the young male was found stranded, still alive, on the west coast of Sweden. Despite attempts by onlookers to bring him back to deeper waters, he suffered from exhaustion and died the same evening.

The bird flu virus, H5N1, was found in several of his organs, according to the veterinary institute.

“Unlike seals, where illnesses linked to avian viruses have been detected on numerous occasions, there are only a handful of reported cases of influenza viruses in cetaceans,” Ms Thorsson pointed out.

Bird flu has already been detected in other mammals, including red foxes, otters, lynxes and polecats, according to the Swedish institute.

Europe and North America are currently facing a vast epidemic of bird flu among wild birds, also contaminating many farms.