Commonground
Senior Moderator
[bolding is mine]
1/23/25
Action Steps:
Local and tribal health department: Please forward to hospitals, clinics, urgent care,
emergency departments, and travel clinics in your jurisdiction.
Hospitals, clinics and other facilities: Please distribute to health care providers who might see
hospitalized patients with respiratory illness.
Health care providers:
• Review the CDC HAN: Accelerated Subtyping of Influenza A in Hospitalized Patients
(https://www.cdc.gov/han/2025/han00520.html). This guidance is meant to increase
the speed of testing and is not a change in testing requirements and does not indicate
an increased risk for avian influenza A(H5N1) infections in humans.
• Request subtyping ideally within 24 hours of hospital admission for hospitalized patients
who test positive for influenza A, using in-house subtyping or a commercial clinical
laboratory, if available. Specimens from hospitalized patients that are not able to be
subtyped in-house or through a commercial clinical laboratory should be submitted to
the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory (MDH-PHL) within 24
hours of receiving results: Specimen Collection and Testing for Seasonal Influenza
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/flu/hcp/lab.html).
• Be aware that seasonal influenza is widely circulating in Minnesota and the most likely
cause of influenza-like illness. The risk of avian influenza A(H5N1) to the general public is
low, it is an occupational risk and typically limited to people who have direct contact
with infected animals.
• Take a comprehensive patient history for hospitalized patients presenting with
respiratory illness and/or conjunctivitis including asking about their occupation, animal
exposure, and raw milk consumption.
• Report any A(H5N1) suspected cases, including any positive H5 subtyped results, to the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) at 651-201-5414 or 1-877-676-5414 while
patients are still present to ensure proper specimen collection and submission.
Continued: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ep/han/2025/jan23avian.pdf
1/23/25
Action Steps:
Local and tribal health department: Please forward to hospitals, clinics, urgent care,
emergency departments, and travel clinics in your jurisdiction.
Hospitals, clinics and other facilities: Please distribute to health care providers who might see
hospitalized patients with respiratory illness.
Health care providers:
• Review the CDC HAN: Accelerated Subtyping of Influenza A in Hospitalized Patients
(https://www.cdc.gov/han/2025/han00520.html). This guidance is meant to increase
the speed of testing and is not a change in testing requirements and does not indicate
an increased risk for avian influenza A(H5N1) infections in humans.
• Request subtyping ideally within 24 hours of hospital admission for hospitalized patients
who test positive for influenza A, using in-house subtyping or a commercial clinical
laboratory, if available. Specimens from hospitalized patients that are not able to be
subtyped in-house or through a commercial clinical laboratory should be submitted to
the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory (MDH-PHL) within 24
hours of receiving results: Specimen Collection and Testing for Seasonal Influenza
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/flu/hcp/lab.html).
• Be aware that seasonal influenza is widely circulating in Minnesota and the most likely
cause of influenza-like illness. The risk of avian influenza A(H5N1) to the general public is
low, it is an occupational risk and typically limited to people who have direct contact
with infected animals.
• Take a comprehensive patient history for hospitalized patients presenting with
respiratory illness and/or conjunctivitis including asking about their occupation, animal
exposure, and raw milk consumption.
• Report any A(H5N1) suspected cases, including any positive H5 subtyped results, to the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) at 651-201-5414 or 1-877-676-5414 while
patients are still present to ensure proper specimen collection and submission.
Continued: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ep/han/2025/jan23avian.pdf
