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Between 2003 and December 2024, the World Health Organization has recorded 963 cases of confirmed H5N1 influenza, leading to 465 deaths. [10] The true fatality rate may be lower because some cases with mild symptoms may not have been identified as H5N1. [11] A/H5N1 influenza virus was first identified in farmed birds in southern China in 1996. [12]
The N in H5N1 stands for "Neuraminidase", the protein depicted in this ribbon diagram. H5N1 is a subtype of Influenza A virus. Like all subtypes it is an enveloped negative-sense RNA virus, with a segmented genome. [37] Subtypes of IAV are defined by the combination of the antigenic hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins in the viral envelope.
A small H5N1 outbreak in humans in Hong Kong occurred then, [44] and sporadic human cases have occurred since 1997, carrying a high case fatality rate. [ 19 ] [ 62 ] The most recent flu pandemic was the 2009 swine flu pandemic , which originated in Mexico and resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. [ 34 ]
A/Fujian (H5N1) bird flu is notable for its resistance to standard medical countermeasures and its rapid spread. This variant of the H5N1 virus also illustrates the continuing evolution of the H5N1 virus, and its emergence has caused political controversy. Diagram of influenza virus nomenclature
To date, most cases of H5N1 bird flu in people have been mild, involving conjunctivitis, or pink eye, and mild upper respiratory symptoms.
Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in a human appears to be far worse, killing over 50% of humans reported infected with the virus, although it is unknown how many cases (with milder symptoms) go unreported. In one case, a boy with H5N1 experienced diarrhea followed rapidly by a coma without developing respiratory or flu-like symptoms. [41]
In a study published May 29, the CDC estimated that there was a 72% to 77% chance that current surveillance would detect one human case of H5N1 in an emergency room or urgent care clinic monthly ...
CHICAGO (Reuters) -H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, the first detection of the virus in swine in the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.