AN alarming number of sea lions are dying from bird flu with tens of thousands of birds also affected by the disease.
In mid-February of this year, Peru reported 700 sea lions dead due to the H5N1 avian influenza.
The number raised further concerns about the virus, and on March 2, the Peruvian Agriculture Ministry recorded at least 3,487 sea lions to have been found dead in 7 natural areas since November.
This is 5 times many as what was previously reported, representing an estimate of 3.3 percent of the total population in Peru.
However, it’s still unclear how sea lions were infected with the virus, and reports say that the matter should be investigated urgently.
To recall, in January, Ecuador reported the first case of H5N1 bird flu disease in South America.
In September, a woman died in China, and just this week, China reported a case of bird flu in a 53-year-old woman from Jingsu Rival.
