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After China's introduction and nationwide deployment of a new H5+H7 poultry vaccine in the summer of 2017, the incidence of HPAI H5 and H7 avian influenza in China - and indeed, across much of the rest of the world - plummeted for the next three years.
The much feared H7N9 virus has all but disappeared in China, but since the fall of 2020 HPAI H5N6 has begun to make breakthroughs, causing 6 human infections (5 in China, 1 in Laos) since November. Additionally, Laos reported a human H5N1 infection last fall.
The most recent human H5N6 infection was reported by WHO in late March in Laos.
One new case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus was notified to WHO from Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The case was a 5-year-old male from Luang Prabang district in northern Lao PDR, who developed symptoms on 28 February 2021. No further cases were suspected among contacts of the patient at time of reporting. This is the first avian influenza A(H5N6) case reported to WHO from Lao PDR. To date, a total of 31 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H5N6) virus have been reported to WHO in the western pacific region since 2014, including eight deaths reported at time of IHR notification.
China, meanwhile, has reported 30 human infections since 2014 (see map below) with 5 of those occurring in the past 5 months (see China's Recent Resurgence Of Human HPAI H5N6 Infections).
And earlier this year, for the very first time, we saw confirmation of 7 cases of human infection with avian H5N8 in Russia (see WHO Statement & Risk Assessment On Human Infection with Avian H5N8 – the Russian Federation).
All of which brings us to a report today from China's Ministry of Agriculture of an outbreak of HPAI H5N6 which is a little unusual for a couple of reasons.
- First, because while HPAI H5N6 is highly pathogenic in poultry (and in humans), it is generally carried asymptomatically by wild birds (see J. Infect.: Pathogenicity & Transmissibility of 3 Avian H5N6 Viruses Isolated From Wild Birds).
- Second, because the bulk of China's HPAI H5N6 reports have come from the southern 1/3rd of the nation, while today's report comes from Liaoning Province in the north.
First the official (translated) report from China's MOA, followed by a (translated) note from the Liaoning Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, after which I'll have more.
Wild bird H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Release time: 2021-04-12
Source: Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
The Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on April 12 that a wild bird H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemic occurred in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province.
On April 12, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, and confirmed by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory that a wild bird H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemic occurred in Changbai Island Forest Park, Changbai Street, Heping District, Shenyang.
There were a total of 291 wild birds in the epidemic site, and 11 died of illness. After the outbreak, the local area immediately activated an emergency response mechanism, carried out emergency response work, culled 280 wild birds, treated all dead and culled birds to be harmless, and disinfected the surrounding environment.
H5N6 avian flu is preventable and controllable, there is no need to talk about the discoloration of birds
Release time: 2021-04-13
1. What is H5N6 avian influenza virus?
H5N6 bird flu virus and H5N1 , H7N9 subtypes of avian influenza virus belongs to the influenza virus, most of the highly pathogenic to poultry, by 2 008 since first discovered in poultry in the country , has been gradually replaced The H5N1 avian influenza virus has become the main virus circulating in our country’s poultry and live poultry markets. In the natural state, H 5N6 bird flu virus mainly infects home poultry , infection of human events very little happened , as of 021 Nian 3 month, global coverage is only 2 5 people are infected, and are distributed.
The avian influenza virus is sensitive to heat and can be inactivated by heating at 65°C for 30 minutes or boiling (100°C) for more than 2 minutes.
2. Can poultry effectively prevent the H5N6 avian influenza that occurred in our province ?
2 021 Nian 4 Yue 1 2 May by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed, Heping District, Shenyang City Changbai Island Park occurred wildfowl H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic bird flu, the virus highly pathogenic avian, by Gene sequencing analysis found that the virus is highly homologous to the H5 subtype (R e-11+ R e-12 ) vaccine strain currently widely used in China (up to 98.4% ), indicating that the existing vaccines have complete coverage of the virus. Preventive protection effect. China implements compulsory immunization against highly pathogenic avian influenza. Poultry farms, zoos, etc. immunize the raised poultry in accordance with the immunization procedures to effectively prevent the H5N6 avian influenza epidemic.
3. How can people effectively prevent H5N6 avian influenza?
Although the H5N6 avian influenza virus rarely infects humans, it should also be taken seriously to avoid the occurrence and spread of epidemics due to human factors.
- One is to try to avoid direct contact with live poultry;
- The second is to try not to buy poultry products without a quarantine certificate;
- Third, the cutting board and kitchen knife should be separated from raw and cooked when cooking, and the cutting board and kitchen knife for cutting poultry should be scalded with boiling water after use;
- The fourth is to eat fully cooked poultry meat, poultry eggs and related products.
While the global avian influenza situation is nowhere near as dramatic, or perilous, as it was between 2015 and 2017, over the past 6 months we have witnessed a decided sea change. We've seen large HPAI H5 epizootics reported across both Europe and Asia (see ECDC Chart below), 7 HPAI H5 human infections since November in Asia, and the report of 7 cases of (asymptomatic) H5N8 infection in Russia.
And to all of this we can add the (still unconfirmed) reports of a cluster of human H5N1 infections in Nigeria (see The ECDC On The Recent Nigeria H5N1 Report Of Suspected Human Infections).
Over the past two decades we've seen avian flu activity wax and wane repeatedly around the globe, nearly disappearing in some regions, only to return- often after reinventing itself via reassortment - as a more formidable foe.
While the future trajectory of avian influenza is unknowable, evolution never stops, and we've seen evidence over the past two decades that several subtypes of avian influenza have become better adapted to mammalian hosts (see The Innovation - Dealing with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: An Impending Crisis).
All of which makes avian influenza - despite its recent decline - a plausible candidate to spark the next pandemic.
