Health & Science

• Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 11:48 UTC

  Avian Influenza confirmed in Bird Island; South Georgia introduces stringent bio-security measures

  

  Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in brown skua populations on Bird Island, South Georgia. In response to the situation on Monday, the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has introduced a comprehensive Management Plan and new regulations to further protect terrestrial habitats and the remarkable animals and plants found in those islands.

• Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:55 UTC

  Avian flu keeps killing seashore mammals along South Atlantic shores

  

  Health authorities in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina are increasingly concerned over the appearance of hundreds of dead sea lions presumably killed by avian flu, it was reported.

• Monday, October 30th 2023 - 17:36 UTC

  The Wavertree and the Endurance; talk at South Street Seaport Museum, New York

  

  On Tuesday, September 26th, at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, Falkland Islander, Mensun Bound gave a lecture followed by a book signing of The Ship Beneath the Ice – The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance. The event occurred onboard the Wavertree, an old square rigger condemned at Port Stanley in 1910. This gathering was the culmination of a year-long book tour spanning the UK, USA, Canada, and parts of Europe and Scandinavia, during which time the book rose to Number 2 in the UK Best-Seller List.

• Monday, October 30th 2023 - 08:32 UTC

  Brazilian researchers developing vaccine against cocaine consumption

  

  A Brazilian-developed vaccine against cocaine addiction is almost ready for public distribution. The drug, named Calixcoca, “would block the effects on the brain,” according to the researchers behind the project.

• Saturday, October 28th 2023 - 01:09 UTC

  Carnival could face cascade of demands following a ruling on a Covid 19 outbreak in one of its vessels

  

  Cruise operator Carnival could face a cascade of demands following a ruling by an Australian judge referred to passengers' safety and an outbreak of Covid-19 on board one of its vessels. According to the ruling, the company misled passengers about safety risks and should have canceled a voyage by the Ruby Princess in March 2020 before it departed.

• Tuesday, October 24th 2023 - 08:55 UTC

  BAS reports first confirmed cases of Avian Influenza in South Georgia; Biosecurity Handbook must be handy

  

  The highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in brown skua populations on Bird Island, South Georgia – the first known cases in the Antarctic region, reported British Antarctic Survey, BAS.

• Monday, October 23rd 2023 - 05:47 UTC

  Avian flu has caused the death of some 3,000 Humboldt penguins in Chilean coasts

  

  Some 3,000 Humboldt penguins have died as a consequence of the avian influenza so far in 2023, according to official reports from the Chilean Fisheries National Service, Sernapesca. The data covers the period from February to October 6th and includes the flu death of 21.819 animals, of which 2,917 Humboldt penguins.

• Saturday, October 21st 2023 - 10:50 UTC

  BAS begins its ambitious 2023/24 Antarctic field season: 60 projects and 600 people

  

  The British Antarctic Survey has announced that the 2023/24 Antarctic field season has started, with over 600 people beginning the journey South to work on over 60 projects on station and in the field. The season of work speaks clearly to the new 10-year science strategy, Polar Science for a Sustainable Planet, making the most of our operational capabilities across BAS five Antarctic stations, aircraft, and research ship.

• Thursday, October 19th 2023 - 09:13 UTC

  FIG announces new Director of Health and Social Services

  

  The Falkland Islands Government has announced the appointment of John Woollacott as the new Director of Health and Social Services, who took up the position on Thursday 12 October 2023.

• Thursday, October 19th 2023 - 08:55 UTC

  Brazilian Navy begins Operation Antarctica 2023

  

  The Brazilian Navy (MB) officially started its Operation Antarctica (OPERANTAR) 2023 last Sunday with the departure of the Oceanographic Support Vessel “Ary Rongel” and the Polar Vessel “Almirante Maximiano”, it was reported. The units will support the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR) before returning to the Ilha das Cobras naval base in Rio de Janeiro in April 2024, it was also explained.