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WHO: H5N1 Update

 

 

# 6791

 

The World Health Organization recently changed the way it reports on human infections with the H5N1 virus with the following notice.

 

Henceforward, WHO will publish information on human cases with H5N1 avian influenza infection on a monthly basis on the Influenza webpage.

 

Cases of human infection with H5N1 will only be reported on Disease Outbreak News for events that are unusual or associated with potential increased risks.

 

Today, we’ve an update that indicates two new infections (1 in Egypt, 1 in Indonesia ) have been reported since the November update (see Latest HAI Risk Assessment Summary 17 December 2012).

 

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Based on previous years’ observations, an increase in reported H5N1 influenza events in poultry is expected for this time of year. Sporadic human cases reported this month in countries with known influenza A(H5N1) virus activity in poultry are within the expected range. No onward sustained human to human transmission was reported.


Public health risk assessment  of  avian  influenza  A(H5N1)  viruses:    The public health risk remains
unchanged. 

 

Neither of these two cases are exactly `news’, in that we saw an Indonesian MOH report on the 4 year-old last week, as well as an FAO report indicated a human case in Egypt.

 

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As you can see from the chart above, increases in human infections with the H5N1 virus typically increase in the fall, and peak during the winter and spring.

 

This report also takes note of the H3N2v infection reported by the CDC (see FluView & A Novel Flu Case In Iowa) in November.  Since then, another case has been reported in Minnesota (see FluView Week 49).


The WHO report concludes by stating:

Overall public health risk assessment of the influenza A(H3N2)v viruses: Further human cases and small clusters may be expected as this virus is circulating in the swine population in the USA. Close monitoring of the situation is warranted.

Due to the nature of constant evolving of influenza viruses, WHO continues to stress the importance of
global monitoring of influenza viruses and recommends all Member States to strengthen routine
influenza surveillance.

 

For now, infections with variant swine flu viruses, and with avian influenza, remain sporadic and only rarely reported. 

Related Post:

H5N1
Egypt
Indonesia

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