Only Four Human Bird Flu Infections Confirmed

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other agencies have been investigating the risk to human health from avian influenza (influenza A H5N1) 

As of December 21, 2022, there have been four confirmations of influenza A H5N1 2.3.4.4b (bird flu) detection in humans (1 U.K., 1 USA, 2 Spain) between December 2021 and December 2022.

And from October 2022 to mid-December 2022, health protection systems recorded 2,085 human exposure episodes (where a person was directly exposed to an infected bird). 

The UKHSA confirmed there are no detected severe human cases associated with Influenza A H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b) in the U.K. or internationally.

Compared with other zoonotic infections, including influenza viruses, these data suggest that highly pathogenic influenza infections are infrequent.

But there is insufficient information to judge the risk of asymptomatic or mild disease due to limited testing in humans who have contact with infected birds or mammals, such as bears or foxes.

The U.S. government stated the Eurasian H5N1 strain first appeared in North America in January 2022 and has affected 47 states and led to the loss of over 57 million birds as of December 22, 2022.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized CSL Seqirus' Audenz™ monovalent cell-based vaccine and could distribute it if a person-to-person avian influenza outbreak occurs.

Moreover, the FDA says annual flu shots do not protect people from avian influenza (bird flu) pandemic infections.

Additional avian influenza outbreak news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Avianoutbreaks.