Fatal Virus Threatens Seal Colony

Phocine distemper virus (PDV) wiped out half of northern Europe's seal population in 1998. Conservationists from the Exploris seal sanctuary at Portaferry said PDV has been confirmed in seals further north in Europe. They fear it may spread to colonies in Northern Ireland as it did in an outbreak in 2002. It is not clear what causes sudden outbreaks in seals but Tania Singleton of Exploris said it was "a vicious virus for which there is no treatment". "The virus weakens the seal's immune system, leaving it open to infections like pneumonia," she said. The virus was first identified in 1998 when abortions and deaths were reported in populations of harbour seals along the Danish coast...