The management of the Galapagos National Park (Ecuador) has activated the emergency health protocol throughout this natural space after confirming the death of at least a dozen birds infected by the H5N1 avian flu virus on the islands. Wolf and Genovesa, enclaves that are part of this archipelago declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Avian influenza type A due to the H5N1 virus (one of the deadliest strains known) has been causing in recent months numerous episodes of high mortality in birds and other groups of animals (e.g. seals, in total, about 400 species) in several regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and America.
The detection of this virus in the Galapagos Islands is part of the presence previously confirmed in several other areas of the South American coast, and causes special concern because it has begun to affect endemic species of the archipelago that Charles Darwin made famous and studied in depth for the first time. .
The management of the Galapagos National Park has prohibited visitor access to five of the enclaves most sensitive to possible infections in species of great environmental value and has increased surveillance efforts.
The director of the park, Danny Rueda Córdova, has confirmed the first cases of bird deaths and has reiterated “that the local community and tourists who visit the archipelago respect the distance of two meters that must be maintained with the species, in addition to not touch them and in the particular case of finding sick or dead animals, do not pick them up and report the news to the environmental authority.
The control measures by the management of the National Park respond to the request communicated on the 21st of the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos, dependent on the government of Ecuador, in which it was “exhorted” to comply with the contingency plan for avian influenza type A H5 and, in a “precautionary” manner for the safety “of human life,” it was recommended to the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, “proceed with the temporary closure of the visiting sites of the Galapagos protected area and/or reorganization of visiting itineraries, in accordance with the protocols established so far”.
The emergency operations center of the Galapagos Government Council has reported that the Ministry of Health maintains the protocols for possible respiratory infections in urban areas; However, so far the indicators are normal, taking into consideration the change in climate in the Galapagos Islands.
The first deaths of birds in the Galapagos with the presence of the H5N1 virus were confirmed on September 19, after analysis of specimens located in Wolf and Genovesa.
During the last year, avian flu has caused serious damage to poultry farms in continental Ecuador, with several outbreaks that left at least 1.2 million birds dead or euthanized preventively; in addition to an infection in a girl, one of the few human cases recorded in the region.
Until now, the H5N1 virus had also been detected in dead birds found on the continental coast of Ecuador in previous months, without the authorities offering data on the impact and affectation on wildlife, when thousands of marine specimens died in Peru and Chile. and migratory birds in previous months.
