Norway reports bird flu in polar bear

Norway’s report of bird flu in a dead polar bear on Svalbard has added another mammal to the list of species infected as avian influenza circulates in wildlife. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute said on May 19 that highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in the bear and in a dead walrus from the same Arctic archipelago. In India, health officials in Maharashtra said eight samples from poultry workers in Nandurbar district would be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for human avian-flu testing. No human case was confirmed in either development as of Tuesday. ### How unusual is a polar bear infection in Europe? The Norwegian Veterinary Institute said the Svalbard case was the first time avian influenza had been detected in a polar bear in Norway and in Europe. The institute said a brain sample from the animal tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N5 subtype. A walrus found dead on Svalbard also tested positive for the same subtype. (vetinst.no) Svalbard lies roughly midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, and the institute said H5N5 had previously been detected there in wild birds and foxes. The agency said the findings fit a broader pattern of highly pathogenic avian influenza being found more often in mammals in Europe. ### What do officials say likely killed the animals? (vetinst.no) The Governor of Svalbard said the presence of virus in brain samples from the polar bear and walrus was consistent with the hypothesis that avian influenza was very likely the cause of death. The available statements did not say how the bear was exposed, but polar bears are scavengers and can come into contact with infected birds or carcasses. That exposure route is an inference based on known feeding behavior, not a stated conclusion by Norwegian authorities. (vetinst.no) A walrus death linked to bird flu had already been reported on Svalbard in 2023, according to coverage citing Norwegian officials. Reuters also reported that a polar bear in Alaska had tested positive in 2023, making the Svalbard finding a European first rather than the first known case anywhere in the species. (brusselstimes.com) ### What is happening in Maharashtra? Maharashtra health officials said eight samples from poultry workers in Nandurbar district would be sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing after bird-flu detections in poultry operations in the area. District Health Officer Ravindra Sonawane said the workers had either handled poultry birds or taken part in culling. Reports citing local officials said none of the eight had shown symptoms of human avian flu so far. (brusselstimes.com) India TV and other local reports said the workers were being given medication, including Tamiflu, as a precaution. The testing is meant to determine whether any human infection occurred after exposure to infected birds during farm work or culling operations. ### Does this mean bird flu is spreading between people? (newindianexpress.com) The Maharashtra announcement concerned suspected samples, not confirmed human infections. The World Health Organization’s cumulative H5N1 table, updated through Jan. 22, 2026, tracks only laboratory-confirmed human cases reported to WHO, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says its global chart likewise reflects reported human infections rather than suspected exposures. (indiatvnews.com) The Norway finding also does not establish human spread. What both developments show is that health and veterinary authorities are still testing mammals and exposed workers as the virus continues to appear outside poultry flocks. The Food and Agriculture Organization says highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread widely in wild birds and has occasionally infected humans. (cdn.who.int) ### What should readers watch next? The next concrete step in India is laboratory testing at the National Institute of Virology in Pune for the eight Nandurbar samples. In Norway, follow-up reporting is likely to come from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute and the Governor of Svalbard as they publish any additional findings on the polar bear, the walrus and wildlife surveillance in the archipelago. (newindianexpress.com) (fao.org)