The infected patient, aged 65 and hospitalized “in critical condition”, is the 61st human case of avian flu detected since April in the country, according to the American authorities, who however consider the risk to public health “low”.
- A first serious case of human infection with the H5N1 virus has been detected in Louisiana. The man, aged over 65 and suffering from pre-existing pathologies, is hospitalized in critical condition.
- This case, the 61st reported in the United States since April, resulted from contact with sick birds. The authorities assure that no human-to-human transmission has been detected and consider the risk low.
- In the meantime, preventive measures are underway: monitoring of contacts of the contaminated patient, investigations, tests and provision of antiviral treatments.
Should we fear wider human spread? A first serious case of human infection with the H5N1 virus was reported in the United States, in Louisiana, the country’s health authorities announced Wednesday, December 18. This news comes as avian flu has already caused the death of 300 million birds around the world since October 2021, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Patient in critical condition from bird flu
The infected man, aged over 65 and suffering from pre-existing pathologies, is currently hospitalized and “in critical condition”according to Louisiana health authorities. “He suffers from a severe respiratory condition”they told AFP. This case is the 61st reported in the United States since April, with a notable concentration of 34 cases in California. But most previous infections had only mild symptoms.
According to the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the man was in contact with sick or dead birds in a farmyard. “These are not commercial poultry and there was no exposure to dairy cows or their derived products”said Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, quoted by CNN. Genomic sequencing revealed that the virus is the same type detected in wild birds and other human cases in Canada and Washington state.
H5N1 virus: a global threat under surveillance
If the evolving nature of the H5N1 virus and its ability to infect humans calls for vigilance, the American authorities are trying to reassure the population, deeming the risk to public health “low”: “No person-to-person spread of H5 avian influenza has been detected.” In the meantime, preventive measures are underway: monitoring of contacts of contaminated patients, investigations, tests and provision of antiviral treatments, according to NBC News.
In parallel with this epizootic in the United States, other serious cases of avian flu in humans have also been observed in other countries. In November, a Canadian teenager was hospitalized in British Columbia with acute respiratory distress syndrome, according to Radio-Canada. Recently, Meg Schaeffer, epidemiologist at the SAS institute, stated that “bird flu is knocking on our door and could trigger a new pandemic”.
