Modified OIE map showing location of Outbreak
UPDATED: Although we’ve no confirmation from the Italian MOH website, media sources are now reporting on a second suspected case, whose lab results are expected tomorrow.
This from La Republica.
Avian influenza, a positive operator Emilia, I suspect the latter case
The National Institute of Health has reported one case in a person occupationally exposed to sick birds belonging to the establishment of the company Mordano Eurovo. He is now in his home on antibiotics. And at this time came the news of another probable human infection
<SNIP>
This second employee works on the farm of Valentonia and have experienced symptoms of conjunctivitis. The analysis of the specialized laboratory of St. Ursula will arrive in the evening and in the case, tomorrow will be asked to confirm the institute of Health. To explain is Alba Carola Finarelli, responsible for infectious diseases of public health service in the region Emilia-Romagna.
# 7627
On August 15th Italy notified the OIE of an outbreak of highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza in poultry, in and around the municipality of Ostellato, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
According to an overview printed on Friday by The Poultry Site, more than 850,000 commercially raised birds have been affected in these first few weeks.
H7 avian influenzas (with the exception of China’s recently emerged H7N9) have mostly been viewed as a threat to poultry, as it is only rarely reported in humans and usually produces mild symptoms.
This afternoon (h/t Ironorehopper on FluTrackers) we learn that the Italian Ministry of Health has announced a rare human infection. The entire release may be read at this link, but I’ve reproduced the pertinent part below (machine translated).
The National Institute of Health had recorded a positive for the H7N7 avian influenza virus in a person suffering from conjunctivitis and occupationally exposed to sick birds belonging to the farms in the region of Emilia Romagna, in which it was found to have such viral infection. The H7N7 virus is not easily transmitted to humans, which can become infected only if it is to be situated in direct contact with a sick or dead animal.
Unlike other avian viruses (such as H7N9 or H5N1), H7N7 tends to give the man a mild disease (such as conjunctivitis), as already observed in a human outbreak occurred years ago in the Netherlands. Being rare transmission from person to person, the human outbreaks tend to self-restraint, so the risk of community is extremely low or even negligible.
The Emilia Romagna Region, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, having readily identified outbreaks animals, has taken all the necessary procedures to bring the infection under control.
Ten years ago, a large cluster (n=89) of human H7 infection associated with poultry exposure was recorded in the Netherlands. Out of these cases, one person died, while the remainder saw relatively mild symptoms.
Details were reported in the December 2005 issue of the Eurosurveillance Journal Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A/H7N7, The Netherlands, 2003.
More recently, in Mexico we saw two mild human cases last summer (see see MMWR: Mild H7N3 Infections In Two Poultry Workers - Jalisco, Mexico). The World Health Organization published this Summary and assessment as of 10 September 2012.
Sporadic human cases of influenza A(H7N3) virus infection linked with outbreaks in poultry have been reported previously in Canada, Italy and the UK, with H7N2 in US and the UK, and with H7N7 in the UK and the Netherlands. Most H7 infections in humans have been mild with the exception of one fatal case in the Netherlands, in a veterinarian who had close contact
Of course, the emergence of a highly pathogenic (in people) H7N9 virus in China last spring has researchers giving H7 viruses a bit more respect than they have commanded in the past.
Still . . . it is likely that - as we’ve seen with human H7 infections in Mexico, the UK, Canada and the Netherlands in years past - that this H7N7 virus poses little public health risk.
But H7 flu strains - like all influenza viruses - are constantly mutating and evolving. What is mild, or relatively benign today, may not always remain so.
They are deserving of our attention, and our respect.
For more on the history of H7 viruses, you may wish to revisit A Brief History Of H7 Avian Flu Infections.
