H5N1

Chile: Health ministry reports first human case of H5N1, in north of country

I believe this is the first case of human H5N1 contracted in the Americas. Via La Nación: Minsal informa primer caso humano de gripe aviar en el norte del país.[Health ministry report first human case of avian flu in the north of the country] The full report, with my translation:

El Ministerio de Salud (Minsal) informó la tarde de este miércoles el primer caso en Chile de gripe aviar en humanos, reportado en el norte del país. 

The Ministry of health reported Tuesday afternoon on the first case in Chile of avian flu in a human, reported in the north of the country.

La persona enferma corresponde a un hombre de 53 años afectado por un cuadro de influenza grave. El paciente se encuentra estable dentro de su gravedad. 

The person is a 53-year-old man with a case of severe influenza. The patient is in serious but stable condtion.

Se indicó que se activaron los protocolos sanitarios establecidos para el manejo de esta enfermedad y se tomaron los exámenes correspondientes para su análisis por el Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP), que confirmó que se trata de influenza aviar. 

The ministry said it had activated health protocols established for control of the disease; tests were analyzed by the Institute of Public Health, which confirmed the disease was avian flu.

Se investiga la fuente de contacto y si existen antecedentes de otros afectados en el entorno del paciente. 

The source of the infection in being investigated, as well as the possibility of others' infection among the patient's contacts.

El virus H5N1 o gripe aviar es un virus que se puede transmitir desde aves o mamíferos marinos al ser humano, pero no se conocen casos de contagios de humano a humano. 

The H5N1 virus, or avian flu, can be transmitted from birds or infected marine mammals to humans, but human-to-human cases are unknown.

El Ministerio de Salud hace un llamado a la ciudadanía a no manipular aves o mamíferos enfermos o muertos e insta a los trabajadores avícolas a seguir los protocolos de seguridad correspondientes y a vacunarse contra la influenza estacional.

The Ministry of Health asked the public not to handle or touch birds of marine mammals, whether sick or dead, and asked workers in the poultry industry to follow the appropriate safety protocols and to obtaain a vaccination against seasonly influenza.

8 dead skunks found in Vancouver and Richmond test positive for H5N1 avian flu

Via CBC News, a story that's getting close to home: 8 dead skunks found in Vancouver and Richmond test positive for avian flu. Excerpt:

Eight skunks found dead last month in Vancouver and nearby Richmond, B.C., have tested positive for avian flu. 

The B.C. government says it is the same strain of avian influenza associated with the outbreak that began in April 2022.  

The skunks were found in residential areas in both cities and were taken to B.C.'s Animal Health Centre over concerns they may have been deliberately poisoned.  

British Columbia's Ministry of Agriculture says the skunks were infected with the same H5N1 strain that has caused the deaths of millions of domestic poultry since the outbreak began in April last year.  

The ministry says in a statement the skunks may have contracted H5N1 by scavenging on infected wild birds.  

The statement says while avian flu in skunks is considered to be a low risk to human health, there are always risks when people or pets come into contact with sick or dead wild animals.

Avian influenza overview December 2022 – March 2023

ECDC has published Avian influenza overview December 2022 – March 2023. The abstract:

Between 3 December 2022 and 1 March 2023 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, clade 2.3.4.4b, was reported in Europe in domestic (522) and wild (1,138) birds over 24 countries. An unexpected number of HPAI virus detections in sea birds were observed, mainly in gull species and particularly in black-headed gulls (large mortality events were observed in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy). The close genetic relationship among viruses collected from black-headed gulls suggests a southward spread of the virus. Moreover, the genetic analyses indicate that the virus persisted in Europe in residential wild birds during and after the summer months. 

Although the virus retained a preferential binding for avian-like receptors, several mutations associated to increased zoonotic potential were detected. The risk of HPAI virus infection for poultry due to the virus circulating in black-headed gulls and other gull species might increase during the coming months, as breeding bird colonies move inland with possible overlap with poultry production areas. 

Worldwide, HPAI A(H5N1) virus continued to spread southward in the Americas, from Mexico to southern Chile. The Peruvian pelican was the most frequently reported infected species with thousands of deaths being reported. The reporting of HPAI A(H5N1) in mammals also continued probably linked to feeding on infected wild birds. 

In Peru, a mass mortality event of sea lions was observed in January and February 2023. Since October 2022, six A(H5N1) detections in humans were reported from Cambodia (a family cluster with 2 people, clade 2.3.2.1c), China (2, clade 2.3.4.4b), Ecuador (1, clade 2.3.4.4b), and Vietnam (1, clade 2.3.4.4b), as well as two A(H5N6) human infections from China. 

The risk of infection with currently circulating avian H5 influenza viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b in Europe is assessed as low for the general population in the EU/EEA, and low to moderate for occupationally or otherwise exposed people.

China reports new H5N1 avian flu case

Thanks to FluTrackers for alerting me to this CIDRAP report by Lisa Schnirring: China reports new H5N1 avian flu case. Excerpt:

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.  

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.

BC: The epicenter of an ‘unusual’ avian flu outbreak

Via the Fraser Valley Current: The epicenter of an ‘unusual’ avian flu outbreak. Excerpt:

An avian influenza outbreak that has plagued the Fraser Valley’s poultry farms since the spring has seemingly diminished for now. But it’s expected to return.  

Although every province except for Prince Edward Island has identified cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the Fraser Valley is the epicenter of the “unprecedented outbreak,” with millions of birds killed locally.  

The first case of HPAI in BC was detected last April. It wasn’t discovered in the Fraser Valley for another month. Since then, the virus has killed more than 3.6 million birds across the province at 103 different locations, 81 of which are in the Fraser Valley.   

The virus doesn’t usually survive the summer heat, but in this case it did, making this strain particularly unusual, said Amanda Brittain, BC Egg’s director of communications.  

The strain is particularly virulent, Brittain said, and has infected many more birds than previous outbreaks. There were 51 previously infected sites in BC that have been declared influenza-free and released from the CFIA’s watch. But another 52 locations are still considered infected and will need to meet certain criteria before they are deemed safe.  

There is some hope: it's been more than 30 days since a case was last detected in BC. The last case was on Jan. 22 at a commercial poultry farm in Chilliwack. Since then no new cases have been reported.  

But it doesn’t mean the worst is over.  

“Avian influenza follows the migratory bird season,” Brittain said. “That’s why we had a spring and then a fall outbreak… and we are anticipating more infections with the spring migration.”  

Farmers, even in uninfected areas, have been forced to take extra precautions. In the fall, farmers were ordered to keep all commercial birds indoors to keep them away from wild birds, which are one of the main transmitters of the virus.  

“Farmers are under a great deal of stress,” Brittain said. “Even if you’re not on an infected farm, there’s all kinds of rules about movements.”

Second case of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia confirmed

Via the Khmer Times: 2nd case of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia confirmed. Excerpt:

The Ministry of Health has just issued a statement confirming the discovery of a second case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) in Prey Veng province – the father of an 11 year old girl who died from the virus on Wednesday  

The outbreak is centred around Roleang village, Romlech commune, Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng province.  

The Ministry says that after the girl’s death, the emergency research work team of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with local authorities and Prey Veng Provincial Health Department, together with health partners, arrived at the village immediately on February 23, 2023.  

The emergency response team collected samples from 12 people.  One of the 12 samples – taken from a 49-year-old man living in Roleang village – has been confirmed as positive.   

The Ministry of Health states that the virus was not previously found in humans for the past 9 years in the Kingdom of Cambodia.   

The emergency response team has been investigating the outbreak of the H5N1 virus and is responding to national procedures, and has been working with the emergency response team, human and veterinary vets, to find the source of the infection.  

Animals and humans will continue to be tested for suspected cases to prevent transmission to others in the community in the village where the incident occurred.  

Public health expert Dr Quach Mengly said the disease has symptoms similar to a cold, cough, and fever and is highly life-threatening without treatment.  

“To prevent the infection, please avoid touching and eating sick and dead animals,” he said. “Bury the dead animals properly, and wash your hands properly after that.”

11-year-old Cambodian girl dies of H5N1 bird flu

Google Maps

Via Vietnam+: 11-year-old Cambodian girl dies of H5N1 bird flu. I couldn't find anything about the case in the Cambodian media, but FluTrackers are all over the story from multiple sources.

Phnom Penh (VNA) - An 11-year-old girl from southeast Cambodia's Prey Veng province had died of H5N1 human avian influenza, the country's Ministry of Health's Communicable Disease Control Department reported on February 22. 

The girl fell ill on February 16, with the symptoms of a high temperature of 39 degrees Celsius, cough and sore throat, the department said, adding that she first sought local health service, but her condition saw no improvements, so she was then transferred to the National Pediatric Hospital in Phnom Penh. 

On February 21, the doctor took her samples for diagnosis at the National Institute of Public Health and the results came out one day later, confirming that she was positive for H5N1 bird flu, and the girl died later.  

The department called on people not to touch ill or dead poultry and if suspected of having been infected with the virus.

Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry

Via Reuters: Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry. Excerpt:

CHICAGO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Avian flu has reached new corners of the globe and become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, according to veterinarians and disease experts, who warn it is now a year-round problem.  

Reuters spoke to more than 20 experts and farmers on four continents who said the prevalence of the virus in the wild signals that record outbreaks will not abate soon on poultry farms, ramping up threats to the world's food supply. They warned that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year, instead of focusing prevention efforts during spring migration seasons for wild birds.

Outbreaks of the virus have continued in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, undefeated by summer heat or winter cold snaps, since a strain arrived in the United States in early 2022 that was genetically similar to cases in Europe and Asia.

Egg prices set records after the disease wiped out tens of millions of hens last year, putting a staple source of cheap protein out of reach to some of the world's poorest at a time the global economy is reeling from high inflation.   

Wild birds are primarily responsible for spreading the virus, according to experts. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without dying and introduce it to poultry through contaminated feces, saliva and other means.  

Farmers' best efforts to protect flocks are falling short.  

In the United States, Rose Acre Farms, the country's second-largest egg producer, lost about 1.5 million hens at a Guthrie County, Iowa, production site last year, even though anyone who entered barns was required to shower first to remove any trace of the virus, Chief Executive Marcus Rust said.

A company farm in Weld County, Colorado, was infected twice within about six months, killing more than 3 million chickens, Rust said. He thinks wind blew the virus in from nearby fields where geese defecated.  

"We got nailed," Rust said. "You just pull your hair out."  

The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless.  

"Avian flu is occurring even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so all we could do now is ask God to avoid an outbreak," said Shigeo Inaba, who raises chickens for meat in Ibaraki prefecture near Tokyo.

Deaths of thousands of wild birds from H5N1 avian flu is ‘new Silent Spring’

Via The Guardian: Deaths of thousands of wild birds from avian flu is ‘new Silent Spring’. Excerpt:

The planet is experiencing a new “Silent Spring” of wildlife destruction because so many wild birds have died from avian flu, according to a leading scientist, who said the past year has seen the most significant and sudden loss of birds in decades.  

James Pearce-Higgins, director of science at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “The last time we experienced such large-scale and rapid losses of wild birds in the UK would be the impacts of DDT on birds of prey in the 1950s and 1960s associated with the Silent Spring narrative, or the widespread declines of farmland birds during the 1970s and 80s as a result of agricultural intensification.”  

The Silent Spring narrative refers to the seminal 1962 book by Rachel Carson about how pesticides, particularly DDT, were killing birds. DDT caused egg shells to become so thin that adults crushed them during incubation, leading to nest failure and the deaths of thousands of birds.  

The World Organisation for Animal Health estimates that more than 50,000 wild birds have died of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 since October 2021, mainly in Europe and America. But experts say this is likely to be a huge underestimate. In the UK alone, numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands, although conservationists say the true impact is still unknown, and most are unwilling to speculate.  

In the UK, the effects of avian flu started in the northernmost islands of Scotland in spring, spreading south down the east coast of England reaching as far south as Sussex, with colonies of nesting seabirds the worst hit. 

Already there are more than a dozen outbreaks dotted across the country among wintering waterbirds. This suggests it is already widespread and will be found in breeding seabird colonies again next year, said Pearce-Higgins.  

There were more than 3,500 virus detections in wild birds across Europe in the 2021-2022 season, with reports from 37 countries that it was being seen in 63 wild bird species, according to an avian influenza overview published by the European Food Safety Authority. For wild birds, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK had the most reported cases, with most coming from coastal areas because seabirds were the worst affected.  

The first US case in this current outbreak was in an American wigeon duck in South Carolina on 14 January 2022. Since then, there have been 3,700 positive tests in 47 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Yet testing should not be taken as an indicator of impact, because only a fraction of birds that die will be collected and sent for laboratory testing, researchers say. “Reported numbers are likely a vast underestimate,” said Michelle Wille from the University of Sydney.

BC wildlife rescue centres say they're overrun with calls for birds sick with suspected avian flu

Via CBC News: B.C. wildlife rescue centres say they're overrun with calls for birds sick with suspected avian flu. Excerpt:

The provincial and federal governments advise people not to handle sick birds, as wildlife rehabilitation centres say they are seeing increased calls from the public who want to try and help the animals suspected of having avian influenza.  

"It's been exceptional in my almost 37 years of doing this," said Elizabeth Melnick, who for decades has worked to rehabilitate injured or orphaned animals at her centre in Abbotsford.  

She said her centre, which runs on donations, is unable to keep up with calls, and even people bringing her sick birds such as wild geese and crows they've observed in distress, mostly in the Fraser Valley where avian flu has been detected.  

"It's really taken a toll," she said. "It's not a good situation at all."  

Seven commercial poultry farms have been quarantined with avian flu since Nov. 16 in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, the same area where 17 million birds were culled in 2004 to prevent the flu's spread. 

Officials in the industry say, so far, there has not been farm-to-farm transmission, but wild birds are spreading the disease as they can easily access poultry farms in the Fraser Valley, which are close together.  

The first poultry infection in B.C. this year was confirmed in mid-April. There have now been 57 confirmed cases, with the majority discovered this fall as wild birds migrate.