Chinese man hospitalized with H5N6 avian flu infection
The H5N6 avian flu virus has sickened one more in China, a man from Sichuan province in the country's southwest, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today.
The 56-year-old man's symptoms began on Mar 31, and he was hospitalized on Apr 4 where he is remains in serious condition. An investigation found that he had been exposed to live domestic poultry before he got sick.
So far, China has reported 13 H5N6 cases for the year, part of ongoing activity that saw a large spike in 2021. H5N6 is known to circulate in poultry in a handful of Asian countries, and infection in humans is often severe or fatal.
The virus was first detected in humans in 2014 and has so far infected 77 people in China. Laos is the only other country that has reported a human case.
Apr 20 CHP statement
Avian flu continues to hit wild birds, including raptors, in multiple states
Tests on wild birds found dead and in surveillance samples taken from hunter-harvested bird and live birds turned up 98 more positives for highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza, especially in Midwestern states, according to the latest update from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Many of the latest positive samples were from North Dakota, much of it in wild geese found dead. Other Midwestern states reporting more avian flu in wild birds include Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois.
In the East, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Ohio, and Tennessee reported more H5, mostly in waterfowl. In the West, Colorado and Montana reported more positives.
A number of the latest positives across several states included raptors, including bald eagles, hawks, and owls. The University of Minnesota Raptor Center said though waterfowl can carry and shed the virus without symptoms, other birds including chickens and raptors often get severe illness and die. It said the 2022 outbreak is unique due to very high levels of H5N1 circulating in wildlife.
So far, the center has sampled 90 raptors, of which 37 tested positive for highly pathogenic avian flu. Affected birds include great horned owls, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, and a barred owl.
The Raptor Center has suspended public tours due to rising highly pathogenic flu cases and is urging people who live in high transmission areas to consider pausing the use of bird feeders and baths for the next few months as a way of preventing birds from gathering and the virus from spreading.
USDA APHIS wild bird avian flu detection page
University of Minnesota Raptor Center background page
