DIE-OFF, HARBOR SEALS - USA: NORTHEAST, INFLUENZA SUSPECTED
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Date: 4 Nov 2011
Source: Boston.com [edited]
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/11/04/noaa_steps_up_probe_of_new_england_seal_deaths/>
Federal officials are stepping up an investigation into the deaths of
146 harbor seals along the New England coast since September 2011 after samples of 5 of them tested positive for the influenza A virus, authorities announced on Friday [4 Nov 2011].
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the deaths have been declared an unusual event, enabling the agency to pour more resources into the probe. The declaration came after consultations with a panel of international experts established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to monitor and investigate sea animal health concerns.
The 146 seals generally were less than a year old and had healthy appearances. They were found in Maine, New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts.
NOAA said in a statement that the deaths were more than 3 times the average number of strandings that typically occur this time of year.
Although tissues from 5 seals examined by a New England aquarium tested positive for the influenza A virus, test results for 6 other viral pathogens and biotoxins were negative, the agency said [This is about 3.4 percent of the total found dead. - Mod.TG].
"Even though preliminary results have been received, they are only indicative of those 5 cases, and additional evaluations are underway to determine whether the influenza virus has played a role in the overall mortalities," the statement said.
The unexplained deaths triggered a response from NOAA's national Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the New England Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Program and the University of New England's Marine Animal Rescue Center.
Authorities warned the public that the seals could pose a human health risk.
"We want to remind people to not get close to seals encountered along the shore, to keep their pets away and to report any sightings to us through our stranding hot line while we continue to assess whether there is any potential human health risk," said Teri Rowles, who coordinated the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
The harbor seal population in the Northeast is considered healthy, so the spate of deaths doesn't signal broad trouble. The last census, in 2001, showed 99 000 harbor seals, and a survey this year [2011] is expected to show the population has grown, said Mendy Garron, regional marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The past few decades have seen some notable seal die-offs in the Northeast, including a rash of influenza deaths around 1979 and 1980 that New England Aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse previously said were linked to bird flu. Scientists theorized that the seals were exposed when they sunned themselves on rocks dotted with bird droppings, he said.
In 2006, a morbillivirus killed hundreds of local harbor and gray seals, Garron said. The virus killed 20 000 seals in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s, with harbor seals accounting for 44 percent of the deaths, she said.
The 1st major reports of seal carcasses came on 28 and 29 Sep 2011, when 11 were found on the Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire coasts. Some were spotted by New Hampshire surfers.
[Byline: Rodrique Ngowi]
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ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[The “rash of influenza deaths around 1979 and 1980 were also reportedly Influenza A virus in the harbor seals (_Phoca vitulina_).
At that time, the animals were reported to have had a pneumonia like condition from which the virus was isolated. This article indicates further testing is underway, so these seals may have had pneumonia, as the ones mentioned earlier.
It would be nice to know if there were other lesions or isolates from the other seals.
A review of the below listed references gives one a feel for how many other disease seals and marine mammals are subject to that this article does not mention. I wonder how many other pathogens will be found among the other animals. - Mod.TG]
[see also:
Die-off, marine wildlife - USA (02): (AK) seal, RFI 20111014.3074 Q fever - USA (02): (AK) seals 20110911.2771
2007
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Phocine distemper virus, seals - Sweden (05): NOT 20070824.2776 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Sweden (04): susp. 20070821.2731 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Sweden (03): susp. 20070730.2443 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Sweden (02): susp. 20070725.2381 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Sweden: susp. 20070713.2251 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Denmark: susp. 20070624.2043 Die-off, seals - Kazakhstan (Mangistauskaya): RFI 20070418.1280
2003
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Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK 20030112.0099
2002
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Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK (04) 20021221.6106 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Ireland 20021009.5506 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK (Scot): conf 20021003.5455 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK (03) 20020919.5352 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK (Scot): alert 20020906.5245 Phocine distemper virus, seals - N. Europe (02) 20020821.5101 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK (02) 20020815.5061 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK: confirmed 20020814.5048 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Germany 20020803.4927 Phocine distemper virus, seals - UK: suspected 20020731.4895 Phocine distemper virus, seals - N. Europe: confirmed 20020713.4746 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Scandinavia, NL:conf 20020622.4568 Phocine distemper virus, seals - Scandinavia: susp 20020530.4368 2000
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Canine distemper virus, seals - Caspian Sea 20000914.1578 Influenza B, seals - Netherlands 20000513.0744
1999
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Seals, unexplained fatalities - Russia (Lake Baikal) 19990616.1020
1998
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Undiagnosed disease, monk seals - USA (Hawaii) (02) 19981030.2122 Undiagnosed disease, monk seals - USA (Hawaii) 19981024.2085 Seals, unexplained fatalities - USA (New Jersey) (03) 19980408.0654 Seals, unexplained fatalities - USA (New Jersey) (02) 19980406.0635 Seals, unexplained fatalities - USA (New Jersey) 19980401.0601
1997
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Harbor seals, unexpected mortality - USA (California)(03)
19970806.1634
Harbor seals, unexpected mortality - USA (California), update
19970803.1614
Harbor seals, unexpected mortality - USA (California) 19970619.1308] .................................................tg/ep/lm/msp/lm/ll
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