Bird Flu Kills Hundreds of Flamingos In Argentina

ARGENTINA – An outbreak of bird flu has killed 220 flamingos in north-western Argentina.

Officials say the dead birds are of the James’s flamingo species which lives at high altitudes in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

The h5n1 strain of the avian flu virus currently spreading through south america can infect an entire flock within days.

In August, more than 50 sea lions died of bird flu on Argentina’s Atlantic coast and earlier this year thousands of them were found dead in Chile and Peru.

Local authorities say they had put in place measures to contain the spread and warned locals not to touch any dead animals.