Today, as part of a much longer (17-page PDF) report, PAHO (the Pan American Health Organization), reports details on the girl's health (excerpt below), along with the status of avian flu across the Americas.
The preface to the full report reads:
Given the increasing detection of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in birds registered in 10 countries of the Region of the Americas, and the recent confirmation of the first human infection of influenza A(H5) in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) reiterates its guidelines on surveillance, laboratory diagnostics in human and animal samples and research. PAHO/WHO recommends strengthening surveillance of respiratory disease in animal and human populations, thorough investigation of all zoonotic infections, and pandemic influenza preparedness planning.
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Because it is of the greatest immediate interest, I've excerpted the Ecuadorian report below:
In Ecuador, until 9 January 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of the country detected three outbreaks of avian influenza. Two in poultry production farms in the province of Cotopaxi, the first in November 2022 in which influenza A(H5N1) was identified, and the second identified in January 2023. The third outbreak was identified during the first week of January in the province of Bolívar in backyard birds. (13,14,15).
On 7 January 2023, a human infection caused by influenza A(H5) was identified in Ecuador in a 9-year-old female living in a rural area of the province of Bolívar, who was in contact with backyard birds, acquired a week before the onset of symptoms and died without apparent cause.
This human infection corresponds to the second recorded in the Region of the Americas, and the first in Ecuador and Latin America and the Caribbean. The patient is currently hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit, in isolation and with antiviral and supportive treatment.
Research in the human and animal sectors is ongoing, including tracing close and exposed contacts. To date, no additional cases have been identified and no evidence of human-to-human transmission has been identified (5).
This is the 7th known human infection with this particular clade of the virus, although other HPAI H5N1 viruses have a long history of infecting humans, sometimes fatally, in other parts of the world (see WHO H5N1 chart).
Up until 3 weeks ago, we'd only known of 4 mild cases (1 UK, 1 US, 2 in Spain), but since then we've been made aware of a fatal case in China, and a severe infection of a child in Vietnam (see WHO Rapid Risk Assessment on A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses).
While we've seen no evidence that this virus can transmit efficiently from human-to-human, today's report is further evidence that in some cases, this clade of H5N1 avian influenza can produce serious illness in humans.
It is worth noting that not all clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses are likely to have the same virulence, as more than a dozen genotypes have recently been identified, created as the virus reassorts with other avian flu viruses (see ECDC/EFSA Avian influenza overview September – December 2022).
The full PAHO document is worth reading, although much of it is geared for public health officials.
