China - Media report that WHO reported a human case of H5N1 bird flu - Confirmed by WHO March 2, 2023

[Treyfish]

China reports human case of H5N1 bird flu
Published 28 mins ago on
March 1, 2023
A woman in eastern China has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, the strain of avian influenza which has spread around the world and worried experts. The news comes just a week after two people in Cambodia were infected with a similar variant.

The latest case is a 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu province in eastern China, according to WHO. She developed symptoms on January 31 after exposure to poultry. Details about her condition have not been released.
......

Genetic sequencing carried out in China showed that the new case was caused by clade 2.3.4.4b, the same variant which has spread around the world and raised concern about a possible threat to human health. This sets it apart from the cases in Cambodia, which were caused by clade 2.3.2.1c, an older variant.

Other details about the new case have not been released.....


looking for confirmation

[Treyfish]

Woman diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu strain similar to Cambodian case

News views: 47

March 02 (Thursday) 11:31 Hong Kong time



There are many chicken farms in Jiangsu.

Recently, human-to-human outbreaks of bird flu have occurred in many places around the world, which has aroused concern. Foreign media quoted the World Health Organization report on Wednesday (1st) that a woman in Jiangsu Province was confirmed to be infected with H5N1 bird flu, which is similar to the virus strain that appeared in a human infection case in Cambodia a week ago.

The report stated that the infected Jiangsu woman was 53 years old. After contact with poultry, she developed symptoms on January 31 this year, but her specific condition has not been announced. According to the report, the genetic sequencing of the virus showed that the newly discovered case of bird flu in China was caused by the H5N1 virus strain 2.3.4.4b, which is widely occurring around the world.

An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia died of bird flu last week. The chickens and ducks raised at her home also died suddenly. Her 49-year-old father was diagnosed a few days later, but the condition was not serious. According to the latest report, the case in Cambodia was caused by the H5N1 virus strain 2.3.2.1c, which appeared for a long time. https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/cnnews/2...00952_001.html

[sharon sanders]

They are referencing "foreign media" so it is not a direct report.

[sharon sanders]

Nothing on the Hong Kong Health Dept. site for March 1 or 2:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202303/01.htm

-----------------------------------

Nothing on WHO site. No situation report:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news

[Treyfish]

plenty of repeat stories in chinese

[sharon sanders]

From:
"FluTrackers" <flutrackers@earthlink.net>
To: "Tarik Jasarevic" <jasarevict@who.int>
Cc: "who media" <mediainquiries@who.int>
Subject: WHO reported H5N1 case in China with onset date of January 31, 2023?
Date: Mar 2, 2023 3:30 AM


Hi Tarik!

There is a media report circulating that WHO reported a very recent H5N1 case in a 53 year old woman in Jiangsu, China.

Can you confirm this?


Sincerely,

Sharon

[sharon sanders]

I have not heard back from WHO.

Still nothing at Hong Kong CHP site.

No WHO situation report.

[Toaster2]

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/china-reports-new-h5n1-avian-flu-case

[sharon sanders]

Thanks Toaster2! CIDRAP lets us copy/paste their entire articles. I posted it below.

[sharon sanders]

China reports new H5N1 avian flu case


Lisa Schnirring


15 minutes ago.

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Creative-Family / iStock

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China has reported a new human H5N1 avian flu case, marking the second case in recent months, an official with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed today.

Daniel Epstein, with the WHO's news media team, said China informed the WHO about the case on Feb 24. The patient is a 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu province who has a history of contact with poultry. The woman's symptoms began on Jan 31, and she was hospitalized on Feb 4.

Genetic sequencing suggests that she was infected with the 2.3.4.4b H5N1 clade, which is currently circulating widely in birds, Epstein said. "Since 2020, an increased number of avian influenza outbreaks have been reported in wild birds and poultry globally, and we can expect additional sporadic human cases."

The new case from China was first reported yesterday by BNO News.

We can expect additional sporadic human cases.

China's last H5N1 case involved a woman from Guangxi province who was sick in November and died from her infection. In a late December risk assessment, the WHO said the virus from that Chinese patient, as well as a recent case in Vietnam, also involved the 2.3.4.4b H5N1 clade.
CDC weighs in on Cambodian H5N1 clade


In related news, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday detailed its genetic analysis of the full H5N1 avian flu virus sequence, shared by Cambodia's health ministry, from a girl who recently died from her infection.

The CDC said that the virus belongs to the 2.3.2.1c clade and is different from the 2.3.4.4b clade that is currently circulating in US wild birds and poultry and in domestic and wild birds across the globe. It added that the clade found in the Cambodian patient is similar to 2.3.2.1c clade H5N1 viruses that have been circulating in Southeast Asia in recent years.

Sequencing by the CDC also suggests that an existing clade 2.3.2.1c candidate vaccine virus would offer protection against the virus. Also, the CDC found no genetic changes known to be linked to enhanced ability to spread to people or reduced susceptibility to antiviral medications.

The CDC said it is supporting Cambodia with its investigation and that evidence suggests that the girl's case, and that of her father, represents two instances of bird-to-human spread, not human-to-human spread. It added that it has requested virus samples from both patients to confirm virus characteristics and to provide a more detailed risk assessment.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-inf...avian-flu-case

[Mary Wilson]

Avian Influenza Report
Avian Influenza Report is a weekly report produced by the Surveillance Division of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection. This report highlights global avian influenza activity in humans and birds.

Summary

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 08

Reporting period: Feb 19, 2023 – Feb 25, 2023 (Week 08) (Published on February 28, 2023)

1. Since the previous issue of Avian Influenza Report (AIR), there were no new human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9). Since March 2013 (as of February 25, 2023), there were a total of 1568 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) reported globally (all were reported in the seven waves between 2013 and September 2019). The latest case was reported on April 5, 2019.
2. Since the previous issue of AIR, one confirmed human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) from Guangdong Province was reported by the National Health Commission (NHC). Since 2014 (as of February 28, 2023), there were 84 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) reported globally and 83 of them occurred in Mainland China. The latest case was reported on February 28, 2023.
3. Since the previous issue of AIR, there was two new human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) from Cambodia reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). From 2013 to 2022, 0 to 145 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) were reported to the WHO annually (according to onset date).* The latest case was reported on February 26, 2023.

* ...
Table 4. Confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) reported to WHO / NHC since 2003 (by date of reporting)

Countries /Areas	Cumulative no. of cases (December 2003 to February 2023)	No. of recent cases (October 2022 to February 2023)
Azerbaijan	8	0
Bangladesh	8	0
Cambodia	58	2
Canada	1	0
Mainland China	54#	1
Djibouti	1	0
Egypt	359	0
India	1	0
Indonesia	200	0
Iraq	3	0
Lao People’s Democratic Republic	3	0
Myanmar	1	0
Nepal	1	0
Nigeria	1	0
Pakistan	3	0
Spain	2	2
Thailand	25	0
Turkey	12	0
United Kingdom	1	0
United States of America	1	0
Vietnam	127	0
Overall	870	5

# Including two cases from Mainland China detected in Hong Kong
...
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/202...vol19_wk08.pdf
________________
(My personal opinion: dates and numbers look contradicting.?)

[sharon sanders]

Please see:

China - An economic analysis shows that 80% of China's supply of day old chicks is from the US. Why is this? Predicts chicken products supply shortage - November 9, 2022

China - Egg prices up 16.45% in February 2023 over same period in 2022

China - The price of eggs in various regions rose on January 30, 2023

China - Female, 38, poultry exposure, onset September 22, hospitalized September 25, died October 18, 2022, Qinzhou, Guangxi province Death

[Treyfish]

CHP closely monitors human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in Mainland
*************************************************
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 8) closely monitoring a human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The case involves a 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu, who had exposure to live domestic poultry before the onset of her symptoms. She developed symptoms on January 31, was admitted for treatment on February 4 and was in serious condition.

From 2005 to date, 55 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) have been reported by Mainland health authorities.

"All novel influenza A infections, including H5N1, 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/Wednesday, March 8, 2023
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...3030800472.htm

[sharon sanders]

bump this

[Miyamoto Masakazu]

Original post edited to include the paper found by Miyamoto on this case:

• Case Report
• Open access
• Published: 02 January 2024

Severe pneumonia with co-infection of H5N1 and SARS-CoV-2: a case report

• Ke Jin,
• Zixing Dai,
• Ping Shi,
• Yuwen Li &
• Chuanlong Zhu

BMC Infectious Diseases volume 24, Article number: 31 (2024) Cite this article

• 1105 Accesses
• 64 Altmetric
• Metricsdetails

Abstract

Background


The H5N1 influenza virus is a cause of severe pneumonia. Co-infection of influenza virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may lead to poor prognosis of patients during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, reports on patients co-infected with avian influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 are scarce.


Case presentation


A 52-year-old woman presented with a fever, which has persisted for the past eight days, along with worsening shortness of breath and decreased blood pressure. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an air bronchogram, lung consolidation, and bilateral pleural effusion. The subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) revealed positivity for H5N1 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).


Conclusion


The H5N1 influenza virus is a cause of severe pneumonia. The clinical presentation of the patient had a predomination of H5N1 influenza rather than COVID-19. A PCR analysis for the identification of the virus is necessary to reveal the pathogen causing the severe pneumonia. The patient exhibited an excellent prognosis upon the use of the appropriate antiviral medicine.


source: https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.c...79-023-08901-w