Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strongly impacts wild birds in Peru

Abstract

The recent panzootic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) has affected hundreds of thousands of wild birds around the world. Here, we analyze the outcomes of the first H5N1 outbreak in wild birds of Peruvian protected areas. The first detection of H5N1 was confirmed in dead Peruvian pelicans (Pelecanus thagus) on 13 November 2022; the outbreak then rapidly spread to diverse areas along the Peruvian coast. By mid-March 2023, the species affected and number of dead individuals found was alarming: we found at least 100,485 wild birds belonging to 24 species (some of them threatened), which died due to this virus. The number of bird species and individuals affected by this disease in Peru is of conservation concern due to the severe effect of this virus onthese populations and the ecosystem services they provide. This emerging pathogen killed, for instance, around 20 % of the pelican population inhabiting marine protected areas in Peru. We call on authorities and conservation managers in South America to be alert and implement actions such as rapid removal of infected carcasses and epidemiological surveillance to limit the spread of this virus and its consequent impact on wildlife. We must prevent this pathogen spreading to other regions in South America and Antarctica, where many potentially susceptible species live and need to be preserved. Since this emerging pathogen has produced high bird mortality worldwide, it should be addressed as a new threat to the survival of several bird species around the world.