The sick seals have phocine distemper virus (PDV). In 1988, this killed over 18,000 seals.
It spread from Denmark to the Netherlands and then to the UK.
The common seal suffers the most from PDV. Only a few hundred grey seals died in 1988.
What happens to the seals?
PDV makes seals too weak to fight infections.
Symptoms include:
- breathing problems
- coughing
- not wanting to move
- air trapped under the skin around the head and neck
- being unable to dive to feed
How does it spread?
It spreads in the same way a cold spreads in humans. Seals breathe in infected droplets from each other.
Common seals are mainly found around the Scottish coast but also in some parts around England and Wales.
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