Hundreds of laughing gulls have been found dead at Råstasjön in Solna municipality. The seagulls have been affected by bird flu – and we are in a completely new scenario, warns infectious disease doctor Björn Olsen. – Keep the dogs leashed, I say. The Norwegian Veterinary Medical Institute, SVA, has this week received alarms from scores of people who have found dead laughing gulls at Råstasjön, in Solna municipality. SVA believes that it may be hundreds of dead birds and confirms to TV4 Nyheterna that the seagulls have been infected with bird flu. The announcement in Solna comes days after American scientists warned that bird flu is more contagious and deadly than ever, something The Guardian has reported on. The variant of the virus that has been spreading among birds and some mammals since 2021 is described as “different”. According to the study conducted in the United States, both wild and domesticated birds are dying at a previously unprecedented rate. The expert: New scenario Björn Olsen, professor and senior physician of infectious diseases at Uppsala University, says that we are now in a completely new scenario – that the virus takes hold in a completely new way, even when the weather is colder. – All viruses mutate as they encounter new animal species and one, two, three we get mutations that make it more adaptable to other wild birds and also to mammals, he says. – It is a scenario that means that you really have to keep an eye on this virus. Bird flu will now spread further in Sweden. Björn Olsen is sure of that. – It will continue to spread among the wild birds. It will also cause outbreaks among domestic birds and will spread to a lot of mammals such as seals, minks and martens. The infectious disease doctor sends out a special warning to pet owners in Solna. – Keep the dogs leashed, I say. Bring in the cats. Cats and dogs can contract this virus, especially if they come across dead birds and bite them. Deadly for humans The virus can also spread to humans, even if the risk is low. If that happens, however, the risk of death is very high. In 25 years, approximately 1,000 people have been infected and 500 of them have died. Spread of infection between people has never occurred, explains Björn Olsen, but if the worst were to happen, we should be prepared. – Then we get a situation that gets completely out of hand. With the virus constantly changing and starting to infect new species of animals, you really have to keep an eye on this and put a lot of effort into researching and developing vaccine candidates if necessary. If you find dead birds, you should definitely not handle them yourself. If you suspect that an animal has died of bird flu, you must report this to the Swedish Agency for Agriculture.
t4-general