Friday, December 01, 2023

UKHSA Issues Guidance For Public On Possible H1N2v Exposure

 

#17,794

Five days ago the UKHSA Announced the 1st H1N2v (Swine Variant) Infection In the UK, in an individual who apparently tested positive in early November.  The patient reportedly had mild illness and has recovered.  

H1N2v is a swine variant influenza A virus that has been identified in other countries, including the United States, more than 4 dozen times over the past decade. 

Normally swine variant viruses don't transmit well between humans, but some human-to-human transmission has been reported.  This patient in the UK reportedly did not have direct or indirect contact with pigs, and their exposure had not been identified. 

While no additional cases have been reported, today the UK's HSA has released detailed, and unusually stringent, guidelines for any one who has been notified that they have had contact with a ` . . . person who has or probably has influenza A(H1N2)v'

This guidance is divided into 3 parts, depending upon the category (High, Medium, Low) of exposure.  The main announcement follows, after which I'll have some excerpts from the guidance for High Category Contacts, including self-isolation and home testing.

Guidance
Influenza A(H1N2)v: guidance for affected members of the public

Information for members of the public who have been affected by the detection of influenza A(H1N2)v in humans for the first time in the UK.

From:UK Health Security Agency Published 1 December 2023


Details

This guidance is for members of the public affected by influenza A(H1N2)v. You will have been told if this guidance applies to you.

It contains information about the disease and the actions that people should take if they have potentially been exposed to influenza A(H1N2)v. It also contains information about the disease and the actions that people should take if they potentially have an influenza A(H1N2)v infection. If this guidance is relevant to you, you will be told which piece of guidance applies to your situation.

Influenza A(H1N2) is a virus which normally infects pigs. Humans can be infected with this virus and the symptoms experienced are similar to human seasonal influenza (also called ‘flu’). The first human case of influenza A(H1N2)v in the UK was detected in November 2023. More information about what this means is provided in a press release issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The disease is usually mild to moderate and symptoms typically last for 3 to 5 days. More serious complications, such as pneumonia, are possible but rare.
It isn't clear from these documents what constitutes a High, Medium, or Low Category Contact, a determination that is apparently made by the UKHSA during contact tracing.

For High Category Contacts, they've announced some unusually rigorous guidelines (excerpts below), that far exceeds anything I've seen published for swine variant influenza exposure before.  

Follow the links to read all of the documents in their entirety.  Hopefully we'll learn more about their decision to publish these guidelines in the near future.

Published 1 December 2023

You have been given this information as you have been identified as someone who has had contact with a person who has or probably has influenza A(H1N2)v.

While you are at low risk of developing an infection, it can take up to 10 days for an infection to develop after you were exposed to influenza A(H1N2)v.

To help limit the spread of influenza A(H1N2)v and to protect others that you come into contact with, you should self-isolate until at least 10 days after you were last in contact with the person who has or probably has influenza A(H1N2)v. Your self-isolation period will end if you receive a negative test result for all of the nose and throat swabs you take during your isolation period, including the last swab which you will take on day 10.

You will have been given a designated contact number to phone. If you do not have this number, contact your local health protection team. Report any symptoms that develop to your designated contact up to 10 days following your last exposure.

(SNIP)

Actions to take

You should take the following actions to protect the health and safety of you, your family and anyone else that you may have contact with. These actions will reduce the spread of virus to others and ensure that if you develop the infection, it can be identified quickly.

As a precautionary measure, you should self-isolate at home for at least 10 days from when you were last exposed. This means you should stay at home and not go to work, school or public areas. You may end your self-isolation period if you receive a negative test result from the swab you will take on day 10 of your self-isolation period, and if all of your other test results have also been negative.

If you live on a farm with pigs, or keep these animals as pets, you should avoid any contact with them during your isolation period if you can.

If it is not possible to avoid contact with  pigs, wear a face covering, and clean your hands with alcohol gel or soap and water before and after contact. Your face covering should cover your nose and mouth and fit well without gaps between the covering and your face.

Try to maintain distance from people living in the same household during your self-isolation period. If possible, stay in separate rooms from other household members.

If you use shared facilities, like the kitchen or bathroom, during your self-isolation period, avoid using them at the same time as other people and use a separate towel. Use them after everyone else, wear a face covering and clean surfaces after use. Your face covering should cover your nose and mouth and fit well without gaps between the covering and your face.

Clean surfaces in your home often. Pay particular attention to surfaces that are touched frequently, such as handles, light switches, work surfaces and electronic devices such as remote controls.

Maintain good ventilation of rooms by opening windows and leaving them open for at least 10 minutes after leaving rooms, particularly in shared rooms.

If you have to be in the same room as others during your self-isolation period, try to maintain good ventilation of the room, keep at least 2 metres away from others, and wear a face covering. Follow the advice given in the guidance on ventilation to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19.

Clean your hands regularly with alcohol gel or soap and water, especially before using shared rooms and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

Any non-essential medical or dental treatment should be postponed during your isolation period. You should discuss any essential treatment required with your designated contact before attending a healthcare facility.

Do not invite or allow social visitors, such as friends and family, to visit at home during your isolation period.

On days 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 of your isolation period, use the nose and throat swab provided to you to test if you have developed an infection. If you were given the swabs later than 1 day after you were exposed, then use your first swab as soon as you receive it. Then continue with swabbing on correct days. For example, you may receive your swabs on day 4 and use the first one on day 4. You would then take your day 5, 8, and 10 swab as normal. You may only have received some of these swabs. In this case, you should use the swabs you have on the days instructed.

You may only end your isolation period if you receive a negative test result for all of the swabs you take during isolation period. This means you must wait until you receive the result of your day 10 test before you know whether you can end isolation.

Inform your designated contact point daily of any of the symptoms listed below within 10 days of your last exposure.

During your self-isolation period, you may be offered medication to help prevent an infection or to reduce the severity of your symptoms if you were to become ill.

You may be asked to take blood tests to help understand and control the spread of  influenza A(H1N2)v.

 

Stay tuned.


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