08 May 2025: New study reports bird flu virus in Atlantic walrus in Svalbard

A new study by Postel and colleagues, titled “Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N5) detected in an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, 2023″, was published in Emerging Microbes & Infections in February 2025. This is the first time a dangerous type of bird flu virus, specifically H5N5, has been found in a walrus. 

The walrus was found dead on Hopen Island in Svalbard in 2023, at a time when several other dead walrus were also reported in the area. Tests showed that the walrus was carrying the virus, and further analysis revealed high similarities to infected birds found in Norway and other countries, between 2022 and 2024. Some features of the virus suggest it may be changing in ways that make it more able to infect mammals. 

Although the researchers could not confirm that the virus caused the walrus’ death, the discovery raises concerns about how bird flu could affect other animals in the Arctic. 

Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2025.2456146 

Photo credit: Mario Acquarone