Bird Flu Infects Sea Lions and Dolphin

On February 5, 2023, @Senasa_Peru tweeted that three dead sea lions and one dolphin had tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI) H5N1 virus. 

By November 30, 2022, HAPI had been reported in Ecuador and Peru related to about 14,000 pelican fatalities.

These reports indicate the ongoing HAPI outbreak has impacted numerous mammals throughout North and South America over the past year.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service listing in 2023 includes about 110 H5N1 detections in skunks, bears, raccoons, and foxes confirmed in 2022.

USDA stated the Eurasian H5N1 strain initially appeared in North America in January 2022 and has affected 47 states, leading to the loss of over 58.2 million birds as of February 4, 2023.

As of February 2023, global surveillance data does not suggest widespread mammalian adaptation of the HAPI virus (low to moderate confidence), says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, seven human infections in 2022 were related to the HAPI.

Should a HAPI crossover outbreak occur in people, the CDC says one approved bird flu vaccine is available in the U.S., but with distribution controlled by the government.

The Audenz™ monovalent, adjuvanted, cell-based inactivated influenza (H5N1) subunit vaccine was approved in 2020 to protect individuals six months of age and older in the event of bird flu pandemics.

Other bird flu vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibody treatments were funded in 2022 and are in development.