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Brazilian officials say bird flu has killed nearly 1,000 seals and sea lions in the country’s south.
As of December 11, the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul had confirmed 942 sea mammal deaths. The animals were infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu.
The first cases of the sickness were reported in Brazil in 2023. During past outbreaks in Europe and America, agriculture industries have killed hundreds of millions of farm animals to try to contain the disease.
Officials at Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said preventive measures were put in place after the first report of bird flu in May. This action made it possible to avoid an outbreak on poultry farms. That kind of outbreak, officials say, would have likely led to a ban on such exports from Brazil, the world's top chicken exporter.
Silvina Botta studies oceans and sea life at Brazil’s Rio Grande Federal University. She told Reuters news agency the remains of dead animals need to be buried or burned as soon as possible to prevent further disease spread.
Scientists have found some sea mammals convulsing along local beaches, as the virus attacks their nervous system, Reuters reported. Botta said that under government health rules, the animals must be killed immediately to prevent their suffering.
Botta added that the first case of bird flu-related sea mammal deaths in the area came in September. That is when local scientists first became aware of a large increase in disease deaths. Three towns in the state still have active bird flu outbreaks.
Botta said the spread among sea mammals appears to have started in Peru and then reached the South American continent. The disease has also affected wildlife in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Brazil's Agriculture Ministry has reported 148 bird flu outbreaks in the country, mostly along the coast. Officials have declared a health emergency to contain the disease, which it says "is not yet considered endemic in Brazil."
The virus has also affected other animal populations in the country. In addition to the outbreaks among seabirds, seals and sea lions, researchers have collected remains of dead porpoises and penguins found on beaches. Officials say they have not yet confirmed those deaths were also from bird flu.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
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Words in This Story
poultry – n. chicken and other birds that people breed for meat and eggs
convulse – v. cause to shake violently with sudden uncontrolled movements
endemic – adj. regularly found or commonly affecting a particular group or specific area
参考译文：
巴西官员表示，禽流感已经导致该国南部近1000只海豹和海狮死亡。
截至12月11日，南部州里约格兰德杜苏尔已经确认了942例海洋哺乳动物死亡。这些动物感染了高致病性禽流感，也被称为禽流感。
这种疾病的首例病例于2023年在巴西报告。在欧洲和美洲的过去爆发中，农业行业为了遏制疾病曾经屠杀了数亿头农场动物。
巴西农业部官员表示，在5月首次报告禽流感后，已经采取了预防措施。这一举措使得能够避免家禽养殖场的爆发。官员表示，这种爆发可能导致巴西，全球最大的鸡肉出口国，被禁止出口。
Silvina Botta在巴西里约格兰德联邦大学研究海洋和海洋生物。她告诉路透社，死动物的遗体需要尽快埋葬或焚烧，以防止疾病进一步传播。
据路透社报道，科学家们发现一些海洋哺乳动物在当地海滩上抽搐，因为病毒正在攻击它们的神经系统。Botta表示，根据政府的卫生规定，必须立即杀死这些动物以防止它们的痛苦。
Botta补充说，该地区与禽流感有关的海洋哺乳动物死亡的第一例发生在9月。那时，当地科学家首次注意到疾病死亡数量大幅增加。该州的三个城镇仍然存在活跃的禽流感爆发。
Botta表示，海洋哺乳动物中的传播似乎始于秘鲁，然后传播到南美洲大陆。这种疾病还影响了智利、阿根廷和乌拉圭的野生动植物。
巴西农业部报告称，该国已经发生了148次禽流感爆发，主要集中在沿海地区。官员已宣布了一场卫生紧急状态，以遏制这种据称“在巴西尚未被视为地方性”的疾病。
该病毒还影响了该国其他动物群体。除了海鸟、海豹和海狮之间的爆发外，研究人员还在海滩上收集到了死海豚和企鹅的尸体。官员表示，他们尚未确认这些死亡是否也来自禽流感。
我是Bryan Lynn。
