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WHO confirms human case of bird flu in India
A case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in West Bengal, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
A case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in West Bengal, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
This is the second human infection of H9N2 bird flu from India, with the first in 2019, the agency added.
In a statement, WHO said: “The International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) for India reported to WHO a case of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) virus detected in a child resident of West Bengal state in India.”
It said the patient was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital due to persistent severe respiratory issues, high fever and abdominal cramps in February, and was discharged three months later after diagnosis and treatment.
The patient, the agency added, was exposed to poultry at home and in his surroundings, and there were no known person reporting symptoms of respiratory illness among his family and other contacts.
Information on the vaccination status and details of antiviral treatment were not available at the time of reporting, it said.
On May 22, the UN health body was notified of a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus by the International Health Regulations’ National Focal Point of Australia.
Animal influenza viruses normally circulate among animals but can also infect humans. Infections in humans are primarily through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.
A human infection caused by a novel influenza A virus subtype is an event that has the potential for high public health impact and must be notified to the WHO, according to International Health Regulations.
“With the currently available evidence, WHO assesses the current public health risk to the general population posed by this virus as low. However, the risk assessment will be reviewed should further epidemiological or virological information become available,” WHO said.
