Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week. This week my focus is back to avian influenza, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A (H5N1), or HPAI. On Monday, April 1, the first person, who had close contact with dairy cows in Texas, tested positive for H5N1. Yesterday a second farm worker (this one is from Michigan) was diagnosed with H5N1.
According to Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive, at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) —
“The current health risk to the general public remains low. This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point. This is exactly how public health is meant to work, in early detection and monitoring of new and emerging illnesses.”
Here are three things about H5N1 you need to know following the second human case in the United States.
Hoping these posts help to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
What do we know about the second case in the US?
Yesterday the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced a case of H5N1 was diagnosed farmworker who had regular exposure to livestock that was infected with H5N1. Like the first diagnosed case of H5N1 (among a farmer worker in Texas), this patient contracted the disease from sick cows. And they are suffering from an eye infection.
While we suspect that there are more undiagnosed cases of H5N1 among farm workers (because farmers are reluctant to allow testing of cows or their workers — it is bad for business), we still are not seeing human-to-human transmission of disease.
This continues to news about H5N1. NOT an alarm.
There will be more news about H5N1.
News of a new case is the report of a discovery. Not an alarm bell.
As Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian has noted —
“The current health risk to the general public remains low.
Public Health Surveillance in HIGH Gear
On Tuesday, the CDC asked State & Local Health Departments to aid in H5N1 bird flu surveillance by increasing testing of influenza A virus samples during the summer season to help detect even rare cases of transmission of the virus in humans. Specifically, CDC's Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah has asked for increased vigilance ahead of the typical seasonal decline in influenza activity and testing due to the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 among poultry and U.S. dairy cattle.
Updates from the CDC can be found here.
If you want specific updates about H5N1 in people, you can find them here.
Public health is monitoring cows, poultry, and other mammals.
We are watching for increased transmission, new animals with the disease, or changes in the virulence (severity of symptoms) of the disease.
H5N1 Vaccines
As I noted previously, the fall flu vaccine will NOT include H5N1.
However, you should plan to get the flu vaccine in the fall.
The federal government is moving forward with a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of the H5N1 vaccine for pandemic preparedness.
The vaccine will not be administered unless there is a change in how the virus is transmitted. For example, if we begin to see person-to-person transmission, that would trigger the use of the vaccine. Additionally, if the virus becomes more virulent, it could trigger the administration of the vaccine. Right now, the two individuals with H5N1 only suffer from an eye infection. Suppose individuals with H5N1 were to become seriously ill in the future (and yes, there will be more cases). In that case, it might be a sign that the virus has evolved and is becoming more dangerous — triggering the need to prevent infection before it occurs (primary prevention).
For now — we prepare.
We invest (our time and resources) in surveillance and prevention.
Do you have questions about H5N1? Concerns? Worrying about traveling this summer? Please ask me your questions —
And please share this post with your friends and family. By sharing accurate information — we can keep each other healthy, create healthy communities, and fight the epidemic of misinformation.
Epi(demiology) Matters is written by Dr. Becky Dawson, PhD MPH — an epidemiologist, teacher, mom, wife, and dedicated yogi. She is a tenured professor at Allegheny College, Research Director at a community hospital, and an exclusive contributor (all things health & medicine) at Erie News Now (NBC/CBS). Her goal is to create healthy communities for all. She writes Epi Matters — first & foremost because epidemiology does matter (to all of us) and she hopes that each post will help to educate and empower readers to be healthy and create healthy communities.
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