World: Bird flu is spreading from one polar region to another

In Alaska, a polar bear recently became the first of its kind to test positive for a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza. Last week, a virus known as H5N1 killed several predatory seabirds near an Argentine research station in Antarctica. This is another first and this time marks a new record for avian influenza in a frigid region. LOOK: 'Vaguito', star dog of Peruvian cinema, was photographed with his fans: [VIDEO] Now, avian influenza has returned to both ends of the world, infecting dozens of species of birds and mammals from Africa to Asia and Europe. An article published in the journal Nature says there is evidence that the latest strains are “extremely deadly” and “increasingly infectious.” The scientific community first identified avian influenza on a commercial goose farm in China's Guangdong province in 1996, and outbreaks have occurred around the world since then. This potentially deadly virus is transmitted through contaminated body fluids and spreads to poultry ...