A patient was hospitalized in Louisiana due to infection with the avian flu virus, the first serious case in the United States, American health authorities announced Wednesday, December 18.
The patient was in contact with sick and dead birds, said the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in a press release, adding that since April, 61 cases of avian flu in humans have been detected in the States. -United.
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Genetic sequencing showed that the H5N1 virus which infected this patient from the state of Louisiana, in the south of the country, was of the same type as that which had earlier infected people in the American state of Washington and neighboring Canada.
This version of the virus is different from that detected in several herds of dairy cows and on poultry farms in the United States. No further details on the patient’s profile or state of health were given.
A teenager hospitalized in November in British Columbia
Other serious cases of avian flu in humans have previously been detected in other countries, recall the American authorities. This was the case of a teenager hospitalized in November in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
“No spread of bird flu [de sous-type] H5 from person to person was not detected »also affirm the CDC, adding that this new case detected, although serious, “do not modify” their assessment “concerning the immediate risk linked to the H5N1 avian influenza virus for public health, which remains low”.
For its part, France regained its status on Tuesday “unharmed” of avian flu, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday. The latter based his decision on the fact that no new outbreak has occurred for a month. The level of risk linked to avian flu in mainland France was raised to ” pupil “ in November, which implied, for example, the obligation to shelter animals in certain cases.
The status “unharmed”which lifts these obligations, “opens up more favorable prospects for our sectors”detailed the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release. France no longer had the status “unharmed” since August. A total of twelve outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have since been detected in poultry farms, and three in farmyards.
“Constant vigilance”
Surveillance of the last two infected sites, in Landes and Allier, was lifted on December 15 and 16. “Constant vigilance must nevertheless be maintained by all players in the sector”specifies the Ministry of Agriculture, which recalls that the virus is still circulating among wild birds in Europe, particularly in migration corridors.
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In Europe, the avian influenza virus has been detected in 24 countries, and the number of outbreaks is increasing, especially in Hungary, according to the latest weekly bulletin from the French animal health epidemiological surveillance platform. The bulletin identifies “a strong infection dynamic present since the end of September and increasing in wild birds”.
The avian flu epidemic, which rages from the Americas to Australia, affected France from 2015 to 2017, then almost continuously since the end of 2020. The country has euthanized tens of millions of poultry in recent years. The economic losses amount to billions of euros. To break this spiral, the government has made vaccination compulsory since the fall of 2023 in farms of more than 250 ducks (excluding breeding ducks) at the end of 2023. Professionals expect the State to maintain its participation – for the majority time – to financing vaccination.
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