425 seals found dead since March along west coast of Sweden

Increased numbers of dead harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from the west coast of Sweden were first noted in March 2014. From March through October, 425 carcasses were detected in several seal colonies in the Kattegat and the Skagerrak seas (Figure 1). This unusually high mortality contrasted with the typical annual number of 30 to 40 dead seals reported from this area. Although most seals were too decomposed for examination, influenza A virus (IAV) subtype H10N7 was detected in the lungs of two animals. According to media reports [1], H10N7 virus has recently been detected in dead seals in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands in association with die-offs of seals first observed in July in Denmark and currently ongoing in Germany and the Netherlands.

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