WHO: Bangladesh Reports 4th H5N1 Human Infection for 2026

[Michael Coston]

WHO: Bangladesh Reports 4th H5N1 Human Infection for 2026​

#19,337

In their latest Influenza at the human-animal interface Summary and risk assessment (8 August to 6 September 2026) - published this week - the WHO has announced the 4th H5N1 case in a Bangladeshi child in the past 9 months.

• Last April, we saw a fatal case reported from the Chattogram Division, in a child who fell ill on January 22nd, was hospitalized on January 28th, and who died on February 1st. The H5N1 infection was only determined posthumously, via lab analysis on Feb 7th.
• In early June we learned of a 2nd case, a child from Sylhet Division who was hospitalized on March 28th with a clinical diagnosis of measles with bronchopneumonia. The child was discharged on March 31st, but delayed testing by the IEDCR only revealed a positive H5N1 result on April 20th.
• And last July the WHO reported a 3rd child - also from Sylhet Division - diagnosed with H5 (later confirmed as H5N1). The child (now recovered) fell ill in May, and reportedly had no travel history and no history of exposure to poultry.

In addition to the new H5N1 case in Bangladesh, the WHO also details 3 H9N2 cases in China (previously reported in this blog) and 2 H1N2v Cases from Michigan (reported by CDC here).

Avian influenza viruses in humans

A(H5N1), Bangladesh

On 30 August, Bangladesh, through the national IHR focal point, notified WHO of one laboratory-confirmed human infection with an A(H5) virus in a child from Rangpur division. On 15 August 2026, the child developed a fever, cough and rhinitis and was admitted to hospital on 17 August.

On 18 August, a nasopharyngeal swab and throat swab was collected as part of hospital-based influenza surveillance and tested positive for influenza A(H5) by real-time RT-PCR at the icddr,b laboratory on the same day. The sample was subsequently confirmed positive for influenza A(H5N1) at the Molecular and Genomic Laboratory Department of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and National Influenza Centre (NIC) of Bangladesh. Genetic sequencing is underway. The child remained hospitalized and was improving clinically at the time of reporting.
There was no reported history of travel outside the area of residence. The child had a history of exposure to duck and chickens, including some that were sick, in the household and adjacent households. Poultry meat and oropharyngeal swab specimens collected from several backyard chickens on 26 August tested negative for influenza A(H5).

Close contacts were identified and placed under monitoring and all contacts remained asymptomatic during the observation period, except for two health care workers. Respiratory specimens collected from these two individuals tested negative for influenza A viruses.

This is the 4th laboratory-confirmed human case of avian influenza A(H5) reported in Bangladesh in 2026.

While full genetic sequencing has not been released, the H5N1 virus circulating in India and Bangladesh is typically clade 2.3.2.1a - not 2.3.4.4b which is currently dominant in much of Europe, Asia, and North/South America.

This is the 16th case reported by Bangladesh since 2008 (2 fatal: 1 in 2013 and 1 in 2026), and it reminds us that older clades of the H5 virus continue to circulate, and occasionally spill over into humans.

While this is just the 10th human H5 case reported to WHO in 2026 (see chart below), the expectation is that many cases go unreported around the globe.





https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/09/who-bangladesh-reports-4th-h5n1-human.html

 

[sharon sanders]

Please see:

FluTrackers 2016+ Global WHO & Ministries of Health Confirmed H5N1 Human Cases List