Credit Wikipedia
# 6779
While details are somewhat scant this morning, the Province of Ontario, Canada has announced that they have detected a single of case of H1N1v flu infection in a person who had contact with pigs.
First the press release, then I’ll return with a bit more:
Case of Influenza A H1N1 Variant Detected in Ontario
September 25, 2012 8:00 AM
Today, Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, issued the following statement on a case of influenza A H1N1 variant detected in Ontario:
"An Ontario resident has been confirmed as having been infected with an H1N1 variant (H1N1v) influenza virus. An influenza virus that normally circulates in animals is referred to as a variant virus when it infects humans.
This adult male patient became ill after close contact with pigs. He is being treated and closely monitored in a hospital in southwestern Ontario.
I would like to reassure Ontarians that this variant influenza virus rarely spreads from animals to humans. Subsequent human-to-human transmission is also rare. I would also like to stress that this is not a food safety issue; the consumption of properly cooked pork continues to be safe. Proper cooking of meats, including pork, kills all bacteria and viruses.
Ontarians should remember that hand washing is the single best infection prevention and control measure against respiratory illnesses such as influenza. Individuals should wash their hands often with soap and running water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.
I also would like to remind Ontarians that it is important to get immunized every year with the seasonal flu vaccine when it becomes available each fall. This will protect you against seasonal influenza viruses that are expected to circulate. Everyone six months of age and older should get the seasonal flu vaccine each year.
The identification of this case is the result of the strength of our current surveillance system here in Ontario. It is not an unexpected occurrence and there have been a number of human infections with variant influenza viruses in the United States over the past year.
I would like to thank health officials in Ontario who displayed the utmost vigilance in identifying, treating and closely investigating this case. Protecting the health of Ontarians is a priority and we will continue to monitor the situation."
H1N1v is one of the `viral contenders’ I wrote about several weeks ago in An Increasingly Complex Flu Field, and until just over a year ago, was the most commonly reported variant swine flu virus detected in humans since 2005.
In the past twelve months, it has primarily been the H3N2v flu virus that we’ve seen jumping from pigs to humans (300+ cases). But 2 weeks ago, we saw a single case of H1N1v was reported out of Missouri (see The Return Of H1N1v).
This was only the second H1N1v case reported in a year, and it was also the second time that the H1N1v virus had been found to carry the M (matrix) gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus.
This M gene has been showing up regularly in swine variant viruses (H1N1v, H1N2v, H3N2v) for more than a year. The CDC has previously stated that `This M gene may confer increased transmissibility to and among humans, compared to other variant influenza viruses.’
A couple of cases of H1N1v, hundreds of miles apart, while of concern . . . does not a pandemic make.
But this is further evidence that these variant viruses (H1N1v, H1N2v, H3N2v) continue to evolve, and spread widely in swine, and on occasion manage to make the jump to humans.
The concern is that over time one of these viruses may become a more human adapted virus, and begin to spread more easily among the population.
So we watch reports such as this with more than a little bit of interest.
For more on the flu risks from swine reassortments, I heartily recommend Helen Branswell’s terrific piece in SciAm from late 2010 called Flu Factories.
Flu Factories
The next pandemic virus may be circulating on U.S. pig farms, but health officials are struggling to see past the front gate
By Helen Branswell | December 27, 2010 |
And for some of my earlier looks at swine influenza, you may wish to revisit:
