Australia plans to remove 24 technical staff, scientists and support personnel from its research station on remote Macquarie Island because of psychosocial risks linked to a possible H5N1 bird flu outbreak. The island lies between Tasmania and Antarctica and is home to thousands of elephant seals. The evacuation is scheduled for September or early October aboard the RSV Nuyina icebreaker.

No H5N1 infections have yet been detected on Macquarie Island. However, officials say many elephant seals could die during the breeding season from September to November, as the mammals are highly vulnerable to the virus. Sean Sullivan, deputy secretary at Canberra’s climate change, energy, environment and water department, said the human risk from H5 bird flu is considered low.

Sullivan said authorities could not ignore the psychosocial effects of living near potentially large numbers of infected animals, particularly for expedition members working in an isolated and difficult environment. In June, officials reported that thousands of elephant seal pups had died from bird flu on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands. Authorities have reported 341 confirmed or probable H5 positive infections in Australia, with none detected in poultry or the agricultural production sector.