Australia recently reported its first human case of the H5N1 avian influenza in a child who recently returned from India. The case marks the first time the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been detected on the continent.
The child contracted the virus in India in March of this year – likely through contact with a sick bird – and experienced a “severe infection,” but has since made a full recovery, according to local health authorities.
Officials said contact tracing has not identified any further infections and that the risk of transmission to others was “very low”, as the virus has not yet shown evidence that it can spread between people.
The virus has also recently broken out among dairy cattle in the U.S. in an unprecedented outbreak. So far, 51 herds in nine states have been affected, although experts think it is far more widespread.
The apparent ability of the virus to spread between cows is significant because it provides more opportunities for it to evolve to better infect and spread between other mammals.
Of particular concern is whether H5N1 might now be able to infect pigs, often described as ‘mixing vessels’ for influenza and making it more likely that the virus could adapt to spread between humans.
So far this year, there have been three other confirmed human cases of H5N1.
In Vietnam, a man died in March after direct contact with an infected bird, whilst in Texas a farm worker caught the virus from sick cattle – although his symptoms were mild.
More recently, another human case of bird flu has been confirmed in Michigan. The infection of a dairy worker in Michigan expands the outbreak of the H5N1 virus, though the CDC said the risk to the general public remains low.
Similar to the Texas case, the patient in Michigan only reported eye symptoms, the CDC said. The Michigan worker had mild symptoms and recovered, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. The worker had regular exposure to livestock infected with bird flu.
The U.S. Center of Disease Control is monitoring an additional 300 people for signs of infection who have been exposed to the virus.
Although H5N1 infections in people are rare, the highly pathogenic virus carries an alarmingly high mortality rate. Of the 800 cases reported since the late 1990s, roughly 50 percent resulted in death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) still considers the risk to humans low but urged countries to rapidly share information to enable real-time monitoring of the situation to ensure preparedness as the virus continues to spread.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
This article is precisely why we continue to report on H5N1 or Bird Flu. First, every expert said it only affected poultry. Then it was discovered in cows. Now, they are concerned about pigs and obviously – humans! This disease is noteworthy for its ability to mutate and jump species. While the WHO and others continue to suggest that the threat to humans is low, the virus has already proven it can make the transition. We will continue to monitor and report on this situation. It obviously has had a major impact on agricultural production, but now may be a threat to humans. The federal government, in cooperation with state governments, is now putting more resources into discovering ways to slow or stop the spread of this disease. Stay tuned!
