#USA confirms its first severe case of #H5N1 #flu - #California declares state of #emergency - #UN agencies warn: This epidemic "is increasingly crossing species barriers"

According to CCTV News, on December 18 local time, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California to deal with the increasingly serious avian influenza epidemic.

Although there have been no cases of human-to-human transmission in California, 61 people have been infected with avian influenza in the United States, 34 of which are from California. Newsom emphasized that although the risk is low, the government will continue to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus and open funds to support the emergency response of relevant agencies.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement on the 18th saying that the United States reported the first severe case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus . The patient was hospitalized and his infection may be related to contact with sick and dead poultry raised in private backyard farms.

The CDC said in a statement that the patient was from Louisiana, and was diagnosed with the H5N1 avian influenza virus on the 13th. The investigation into the source of infection is still ongoing, but it can be confirmed that the patient had contact with sick and dead poultry raised in a private backyard farm. This is also the first case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus in the United States related to a private backyard farm.

Preliminary genetic analysis results show that the avian influenza virus that infected the patient belongs to the D1.1 type. The CDC is conducting further genome sequencing on the virus samples.

According to the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since April this year, a total of 61 cases of human infection with the H5 avian influenza virus have been reported in the United States. The agency said that it is not surprising that some people have been seriously ill with the H5N1 avian influenza. Previously, other countries have reported cases of severe illness or death from human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza. So far, no human-to-human transmission of the H5 avian influenza virus has been found. The direct risk to public health posed by the H5N1 avian influenza is still low.

The CDC reminds the public to avoid contact with sick or dead animals, especially wild birds and poultry, as much as possible. Individuals who have direct or close contact with wild birds or sick, dead poultry and other animals need to wear protective equipment.

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency on November 7, a new study conducted by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions showed that the actual number of US dairy farm workers infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus may far exceed official statistics. The relevant research report was published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Journal.

From June to August 2024, researchers collected and tested blood samples from workers on dairy farms in Michigan and Colorado, where outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza had occurred. They found that 8 of the 115 workers tested had recently been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, with an infection rate of 7%.

Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in the United States, said that thousands of dairy workers may have been exposed to infected dairy cows, and the new study shows that many cases have been missed. She believes that it is likely that most or all states with H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks have human cases.

Since March this year, the H5N1 avian influenza virus has continued to spread in the United States. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the H5N1 avian influenza virus has been detected in more than 440 dairy cow herds in 15 states in the United States.

In response to the latest findings, the CDC is expanding testing of affected dairy farm workers. The agency is also recommending that workers who have had high-risk contact with infected animals take antiviral drugs.

According to Cankaoxiaoxi.com, Reuters reported on October 31 that bird flu has spread rapidly among poultry in many EU countries this season, raising concerns about a repeat of the crisis. Previous bird flu outbreaks have killed tens of millions of poultry in many EU countries, and people are also worried that bird flu could be transmitted to humans.

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on December 17 that cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed in two breeding farms in Norfolk. The animal health department decided to kill the poultry in the farms and designate protection and monitoring areas.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health and other organizations warned at a briefing at the United Nations Office in Geneva on the 17th that the avian influenza epidemic sweeping the world "is increasingly crossing species barriers . "

Gregorio Torres, director of the Scientific Department of the World Organization for Animal Health, said that since October 2021, the avian influenza epidemic has killed more than 300 million poultry worldwide. The virus is increasingly crossing species barriers, infecting poultry and wild mammals, causing serious impacts on the ecosystem.

FAO official Madhur Dingra also pointed out that the impact of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has spread to wild animals, infecting more than 500 species of birds and more than 70 species of mammals, including endangered animals such as polar bears.

Source: SINA, https://news.sina.com.cn/w/2024-12-19/doc-inczynpw0156337.shtml

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