São Paulo : The H5N1 bird flu virus has spread rapidly in wild birds and marine mammals since arriving in South America in 2022.
The disease, once largely confined to bird species, appears to be spreading among mammals. This strain has already killed a handful of dolphins in Chile and Peru, some 50,000 seals and sea lions along the coasts, and at least half a million birds regionwide.
As climate change escalates, animals will be forced to move into new territories, mixing with one another and possibly boosting opportunities for the virus to further mutate.
