Tag Archives: HPAI

Beltway Beat

First Bird Flu Death in U.S. Reported in Louisiana

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The news comes on the heels of a report that the patient had carried mutations that might help the virus infect people more easily.

This article is in follow up to the Dec. 30 article, Genetic Sequences of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses Identified in a Person in Louisiana

The New York Times reported that a Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with severe bird flu has died, the first such fatality in the United States, state health officials.

The patient was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the officials said. The individual became infected with the bird flu virus, H5N1, after exposure to a backyard flock and wild birds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late last month that the mutations were not present in virus samples taken from the backyard flock, suggesting that they developed in the patient as the illness progressed.

One of the mutations was also present in virus sampled from a 13-year-old Canadian girl who was hospitalized and required respiratory support. She has since recovered.

Both patients carried a version of the virus that is circulating in wild birds, distinct from the one causing the outbreak in dairy cattle.

Beltway Beat

Genetic Sequences of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses Identified in a Person in Louisiana

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CDC has sequenced the influenza viruses in specimens collected from the patient in Louisiana who was infected with, and became severely ill from HPAI A(H5N1) virus. The genomic sequences were compared to other HPAI A(H5N1) sequences from dairy cows, wild birds and poultry, as well as previous human cases and were identified as the D1.1 genotype. The analysis identified low frequency mutations in the hemagglutinin gene of a sample sequenced from the patient, which were not found in virus sequences from poultry samples collected on the patient’s property, suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection.

This technical summary of an analysis of the genomic sequences of the viruses identified in two upper respiratory tract specimens from the patient who was severely ill from an infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus in Louisiana. The patient was infected with A(H5N1) virus of the D1.1 genotype virus that is closely related to other D1.1 viruses recently detected in wild birds and poultry in the United States and in recent human cases in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington State. This avian influenza A(H5N1) virus genotype is different from the B3.13 genotype spreading widely and causing outbreaks in dairy cows, poultry, and other animals, with sporadic human cases in the United States. Deep sequencing of the genetic sequences from two clinical specimens from the patient in Louisiana was performed to look for changes associated with adaptation to mammals. There were some low frequency changes in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene segment of one of the specimens that are rare in people but have been reported in previous cases of A(H5N1) in other countries and most often during severe infections. One of the changes found was also identified in a specimen collected from the human case with severe illness detected in British Columbia, Canada, suggesting they emerged during the clinical course as the virus replicated in the patient. Analysis of the N1 neuraminidase (NA), matrix (M) and polymerase acid (PA) genes from the specimens showed no changes associated with known or suspected markers of reduced susceptibility to antiviral drugs.

Overall, CDC considers the risk to the general public associated with the ongoing U.S. HPAI A(H5N1) outbreak has not changed and remains low. The detection of a severe human case with genetic changes in a clinical specimen underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry, and prevention measures among people with exposure to infected animals or environments.

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Beltway Beat

APHIS Announces Updates to Indemnity Program for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on Poultry Farms

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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As part of its ongoing efforts to stop the further spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and give farmers tools to help combat the disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced an interim final rule that updates the conditions for poultry facilities to receive indemnity and compensation after testing positive for HPAI. Based on evidence that strong biosecurity measures remain the most effective strategy to combat HPAI, APHIS will now require that farmers undergo a biosecurity audit before restocking their poultry after an HPAI detection, and before receiving future indemnity payments.

“During the outbreak of HPAI in 2014 and 2015, U.S. poultry owners made great improvements to biosecurity to protect their flocks, which greatly reduced the presence of HPAI among the country’s poultry flock,” said Dr. Rosemary Sifford, USDA Chief Veterinary Officer. “Biosecurity is proven to be our best weapon in fighting this virus, and this update will ensure that poultry producers who received indemnity for HPAI are taking measures to stop future introductions of the disease and avoiding actions that contribute to its spread.”

Under the interim final rule, if a commercial poultry farm affected by HPAI wants to restock their poultry and be eligible for future indemnity on that restock, the premises will be required to pass a biosecurity audit by APHIS before restocking. APHIS will also require a biosecurity audit for commercial poultry premises within the “buffer zone” (minimal 7 km radius around the infected zone) prior to movement of poultry onto the premises if the owner wishes to be eligible for future indemnity for the poultry moved onto the premises. Additionally, APHIS will not pay indemnity for flocks moved onto premises in active infected zones if the flocks become infected with HPAI within 14 days following the dissolution of the control area around an active infected premises. A producer who does not make corrections recommended in APHIS’s biosecurity audit will not be eligible for indemnity payments if the premises experiences future infections within the same outbreak.

Poulty Farmer

Iowa HHS Reports First Human Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Iowa

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Poulty Farmer

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) reported the first human case of avian influenza A(H5) in the state. The individual was exposed to infected poultry while working with a commercial flock in northwest Iowa. The individual reported mild symptoms, has received appropriate treatment and is recovering. The case was identified through testing at the State Hygienic Laboratory and confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Iowa has monitored the spread of avian influenza closely since it was first detected in poultry in the state in 2022, and our state is prepared with the established knowledge, strong partnerships, and effective tools to mitigate its impact on our community,” said Iowa HHS State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse.

As of December 20, 2024, the CDC has reported 64 confirmed human cases of H5 HPAI across nine states. The majority of the exposures are linked to infected poultry or dairy cows.