#16,534
On January 8th China announced their first H5N6 case of 2022 (followed by 5 belatedly announced cases from 2021 less than a week later), bringing the number of new cases over the past 12 months to 3 dozen.
Today, China announces two additional cases - both with onsets in the first week of January - both of whom are in critical condition. Only one of the two is reported to have had recent contact with poultry.
While infected poultry are assumed to be the source of most of these infections, China has not reported an outbreak in poultry in more than a year, suggesting that their H5+H7 poultry vaccine may be masking the symptoms of infection in farmed birds, but not halting transmission.
First today's update from Hong Kong's CHP, then I'll return with a postscript.
CHP closely monitors two human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) in Mainland
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 27) closely monitoring two human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
The first case involves a 68-year-old man living in Langzhong in Sichuan. He developed symptoms on January 3, and was admitted for treatment on January 4. The patient is in critical condition.
The second case involves a 55-year-old woman living in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, who had exposure to slaughtered poultry before onset. She developed symptoms on January 6, and was admitted for treatment on January 9. The patient is in critical condition.
From 2014 to date, 65 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) have been reported by Mainland health authorities.
"All novel influenza A infections, including H5N6, are notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong," a spokesman for the CHP said.
Travellers to the Mainland or other affected areas must avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets or farms. They should be alert to the presence of backyard poultry when visiting relatives and friends. They should also avoid purchasing live or freshly slaughtered poultry, and avoid touching poultry/birds or their droppings. They should strictly observe personal and hand hygiene when visiting any place with live poultry.
Travellers returning from affected areas should consult a doctor promptly if symptoms develop, and inform the doctor of their travel history for prompt diagnosis and treatment of potential diseases. It is essential to tell the doctor if they have seen any live poultry during travel, which may imply possible exposure to contaminated environments. This will enable the doctor to assess the possibility of avian influenza and arrange necessary investigations and appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
While local surveillance, prevention and control measures are in place, the CHP will remain vigilant and work closely with the World Health Organization and relevant health authorities to monitor the latest developments.
The public should maintain strict personal, hand, food and environmental hygiene and take heed of the advice below when handling poultry:
- Avoid touching poultry, birds, animals or their droppings;
- When buying live chickens, do not touch them and their droppings. Do not blow at their bottoms. Wash eggs with detergent if soiled with faecal matter and cook and consume the eggs immediately. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling chickens and eggs;
- Eggs should be cooked well until the white and yolk become firm. Do not eat raw eggs or dip cooked food into any sauce with raw eggs. Poultry should be cooked thoroughly. If there is pinkish juice running from the cooked poultry or the middle part of its bone is still red, the poultry should be cooked again until fully done;
- Wash hands frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, before handling food or eating, and after going to the toilet, touching public installations or equipment such as escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing; and
- Wear a mask if fever or respiratory symptoms develop, when going to a hospital or clinic, or while taking care of patients with fever or respiratory symptoms.
The public may visit the CHP's pages for more information: the avian influenza page, the weekly Avian Influenza Report, global statistics and affected areas of avian influenza, the Facebook Page and the YouTube Channel.
Ends/Thursday, January 27, 2022
Issued at HKT 20:05
Two weeks ago the UK's Health Security Agency issued travel advice for the Lunar New Year Holiday in China, in light of the recent rise in H5N6 cases (see UKHSA: Avian Flu Advice for Travellers Over Lunar New Year).
So far, avian influenza remains primarily a threat to those who have direct contact with infected birds, and has not yet learned to spread easily from human-to-human.
But, as we saw with SARS-CoV-2, sometimes virus transmissibility can go from 0 to 60 overnight, and with little to no warning. Hence the warnings for travelers to be vigilant.
