Update on High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

This paper provides an update on the current status and known impacts of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Antarctica, based on a joint Working Paper submitted by SCAR, COMNAP, IAATO and CCAMLR to ATCM 46 (2024). It summarises the work undertaken by SCAR to i) prepare a biological risk assessment for the Antarctic region and its bird and marine mammal biodiversity, and ii) establish an HPAI database to monitor and record information on the spread of HPAI outbreaks in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica. In areas where confirmed cases have been recorded, there is a high likelihood that HPAI has remained present in that region during the austral winter. As sub-Antarctic and Antarctic species begin to return to breed at the start of the 2024/25 austral summer, the risk remains high for intra-regional spread, infection to multiple species, and continuing impacts to wildlife.