#15,632
While COVID-19 remains our primary focus right now, there are literally dozens of novel flu subtypes/clades in circulation around the world that have zoonotic potential. Surveillance and reporting on these viruses is limited even during the best of times, but is probably even more compromised during this pandemic.
All of them, reported or not, continue to evolve with many of them showing evidence of increased adaptation to mammals.
Some recent blogs include:
Nature: Evolution & Pathogenicity of H6 Avian Influenza Viruses, Southern China 2011-2017
Cell Host & MIcrobe: Avian H10N7 Adaptation In Harbor Seals
Viruses: PA From Recent H9N2 AIV Enhances H5N1 Infection In Mammalian Systems
PNAS: Eurasian Avian-like H1N1 Swine Influenza Virus With Pandemic Potential In China
Overnight the World Health Organization updated their Novel Influenza Summary for the time period of October 24th through December 9th, during which time they received reports of 5 human infections with novel influenza viruses.
While reports of avian and swine flu activity have been on the decline for several years, these reports are almost certainly under counts of actual infections. Past studies have suggested that surveillance is likely to pick up only a fraction of cases, even during a known outbreak.
As always, the WHO report reminds member nations of the importance of surveillance and rapid reporting of novel flu cases - something that hasn't always happened in the past - despite the requirements of the 2005 IHR (see Adding Accountability To The IHR).
Some excerpts from the latest WHO report follow. Click the link to read it in its entirety.
Influenza at the human-animal interface
Summary and assessment, from 24 October to 9 December 2020
• New infections1 : Since the previous update on 23 October 2020,
- one human infection with an avian influenza A(H5N1) virus
- one human infection with an avian influenza A(H5N6) virus
- one human infection with an avian influenza A(H9N2) virus
- one human infection with an influenza A(H1N1) variant virus,
- and one human infection with an influenza A(H1N2) variant virus were reported.
• Risk assessment: The overall public health risk from currently known influenza viruses at the human-animal interface has not changed, and the likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses remains low. Human infections with viruses of animal origin are expected at the human-animal interface wherever these viruses circulate in animals.
• IHR compliance: All human infections caused by a new influenza subtype are required to be reported under the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005).3 This includes any influenza A virus that has demonstrated the capacity to infect a human and its haemagglutinin gene (or protein) is not a mutated form of those, i.e. A(H1) or A(H3), circulating widely in the human population. Information from these notifications is critical to inform risk assessments for influenza at the human-animal interface. Avian Influenza Viruses
Avian Influenza Viruses Current situation:
Avian influenza A(H5) viruses
Since the last risk assessment on 23 October 2020, one new laboratory-confirmed human case of influenza A(H5N1) virus infection was reported to WHO from Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) on 31 October 2020. The patient is a 1-year-old female resident of Saravane province who had illness onset on 13 October 2020. She was hospitalized on 16 October and discharged on 19 October. A throat swab sample was collected for laboratory testing as part of routine severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) surveillance. The sample was confirmed to be positive for A(H5N1) virus following RT-PCR testing at the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) on 28 October.
Among the close contacts of the patient, one contact developed fever and cough after the onset of illness in the patient. Specimens collected from all household contacts, including the symptomatic contact, were negative for influenza A viruses. There was no travel history of the family 14 days prior to symptom onset in the case. Upon further investigation, there were domestic poultry at the residence. Multiple detections of influenza A(H5N1) in domestic birds in the same province of Lao PDR since August 2020 have been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).4
This is the third human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus reported from Lao PDR since 2005; two cases including two deaths were reported in 2007. Since 2003, a total of 862 laboratoryconfirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, including 455 deaths, have been reported to WHO from 17 countries (see Figure 1).
One new laboratory-confirmed human case of influenza A(H5N6) virus infection was reported to WHO. On 1 December 2020, China reported a case in an 81-year-old woman from Jiangsu province, who developed symptoms on 16 November 2020. She was admitted to hospital on 21 November and passed away on the 27 November. The investigation indicated the most likely source of the case’s exposure to the virus was exposure to poultry purchased from a live poultry market.
No other cases had been detected among the case’s contacts at the time of reporting. A total of 25 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H5N6) virus have been reported to WHO from China since 2014. According to reports received by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), various influenza A(H5) subtypes continue to be detected in birds in Africa, Europe and Asia.
Risk Assessment:
1. What is the likelihood that additional human cases of infection with avian influenza A(H5) viruses will occur? The overall risk assessment is unchanged. Most human cases were exposed to A(H5) viruses through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environments, including live poultry markets. Since the viruses continue to be detected in animals and environments, further human cases can be expected.
2. What is the likelihood of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A(H5) viruses? Even though small clusters of A(H5) virus infections have been reported previously including those involving healthcare workers, current epidemiological and virological evidence suggests that influenza A(H5) viruses have not acquired the ability of sustained transmission among humans, thus the likelihood is low.
3. What is the risk of international spread of avian influenza A(H5) viruses by travellers? Should infected individuals from affected areas travel internationally, their infection may be detected in another country during travel or after arrival. If this were to occur, further community level spread is considered unlikely as evidence suggests these viruses have not acquired the ability to transmit easily among humans.
Avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses
One laboratory-confirmed human case of influenza A(H9N2) virus infection was reported from China to WHO on 18 October 2020 and was not included in the previous update. The infection was detected in a 3-year-old female from Guangdong Province, China, who had exposure to domestic poultry. She developed mild symptoms on 12 October and was admitted to a hospital on the same day. The patient was sampled as part of routine influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance and no further cases were detected among family members at the time of reporting.
Avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses are enzootic in poultry in Asia and increasingly reported in poultry in Africa.
Influenza A(H1N1) variant virus (A(H1N1)v)
Since the last risk assessment of 23 October 2020, one human case of infection with a swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus was reported by the Netherlands, which occurred in September 2019. The infection was detected in a 43-year-old male farmer who developed an influenza-like illness on 25 September 2019. Samples were collected from the farmer, another symptomatic farm worker as well as symptomatic pigs at the farm. Influenza A viruses were detected in the samples from the farmer and the pigs. Antigenic and genetic characterization indicated the viruses were Eurasian avian-like influenza A(H1N1) swine influenza viruses. The full genome sequences of the viruses from the farmer and a pooled sample from the pigs were nearly identical. All segments were distant from seasonal human influenza viruses. The farmer went to his general practitioner and recovered uneventfully following treatment for pneumonia. The farmer had no recent travel history, visited no trade fairs and had not bought new animals prior to his illness. Two contacts of the farm worker had influenza-like illness prior to the illness in the farmer but were not sampled. Further details on the virus characterization are anticipated.
Influenza A(H1N2) variant virus (A(H1N2)v)
Since the last risk assessment, one human case of infection with a swine influenza A(H1N2)v virus was reported to WHO from Canada on 31 October 2020. The infection was detected in a child in the province of Alberta who developed an influenza-like illness and received medical care on 7 October 2020 when a sample was collected. On 3 November, the detection of an influenza A(H1N2)v virus was confirmed at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), Canada’s National Influenza Centre. The patient has recovered. No further cases were detected among family members, although one sibling of the patient also developed symptoms but was not tested. On preliminary investigation, the case had no known animal exposure; however, the patient’s father provides direct care to animals on a swine farm. There was no recent travel history among any members of the household. This is the first influenza A(H1N2)v virus infection identified in Canada since reporting began in 2005. Other variant virus infections, such as A(H1N1)v and A(H3N2)v have been detected and reported from Canada to WHO in past years.
Hong Kong's Avian Flu report Vol 16, Number 44 mentioned HERE
