The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) causes unprecedented mortality among poultry, pets, and wild animals. The virus has spread from poultry to wild bird populations, where it has adapted to infect these birds and further spread to other species, even returning to infect poultry. Wild birds are thus both carriers and victims of the virus.
Around Antarctica, the virus has been spreading since 2023 between islands and colonies, primarily affecting skuas, cormorants, and seals. Penguins are spreading the disease to other continents – possibly even to Australia, which is currently free of avian influenza. The skuas in the Arctic regions are also dying from avian influenza. Especially in the polar regions, where there are relatively fewer pathogens, species are often less resistant, and the ecological damage is greater.
The goal of the Polarflu research project is to better understand how the H5 HPAI virus spreads and impacts wild birds in the Arctic and Antarctica. These are areas where large populations of seabirds and marine mammals live, but where too little research is being conducted due to their remote location. The Polarflu research project will provide important insights into how the H5 HPAI virus spreads and evolves in wild bird populations in these regions, as well as the level of immunity against the virus within these populations. Additionally, the project has a societal impact by helping to protect wild animals in these areas and assessing potential risks to bird health over the next four years.
The consortium consists of applicants from Erasmus MC and Wageningen University & Research, with partners at the Arctic Centre (University of Groningen) and eight different Icelandic research institutions. Logistically, the proposal relies on access to ships from the Alfred Wegener Institute (strategic partner of the NPP) and the Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions. The researchers from Erasmus MC have already participated in an international expedition in Antarctica in 2024 and can also collect samples there with the Polarflu project in 2025 and 2026. The Groningen and Icelandic partners provide access to Arctic samples.
Incidental Allocation
The Dutch Polar Programme is a long-term strategic program through which the Netherlands finances scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The NPP has included space for participation in special, urgent, and strategically important polar projects in its scientific strategy PolePosition-NL 3.0. The program committee of the NPP has, on behalf of the funding ministries, approached this consortium due to its concerns about avian influenza. This funding is exceptionally granted due to the high urgency and necessity for research.