Approximately 70 cases of zoonotic infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have documented in the U.S. although the actual prevalence may be higher.  These cases involved conjunctivitis and mild upper respiratory infection contracted by workers involved in depopulation of infected flocks or having direct contact with the milk of infected dairy cattle. Three cases of H5N1 influenza have been reported from Canada and the U.S. with two unrelated to either live poultry or raw milk.   

The risk of an emergent zoonotic strain capable of contagion (human-to-human transmission) are currently regarded as extremely low but the consequences are potentially catastrophic.  On February 12^th the Ohio Department of Health documented a case of avian influenza in a poultry farmer in Mercer County where the prevalence of HPAI is high.  There are no details as to whether the patient had direct contact with either turkey or egg production flocks, but numerous cases of avian influenza have been recorded in recent weeks in a cluster encompassing Mercer and Darke Counties in northwest Ohio.

Currently seasonal influenza (H1N1 and H3N2 strains.) is increasing in incidence. This season CDC estimate 24 million cases with 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 fatalities. It is imperative that all personnel coming in contact with live poultry should receive the seasonal multivalent influenza vaccine to reduce the probability of a recombinant event involving human and avian strains.

Subscribers are referred to recent posts on EGG-NEWS relating to the possibility of emergence of zoonotic avian influenza.  Previous articles citing research on zoonotic influenza and incorporating comments by virologists and immunologists can be retrieved by entering “avian influenza” in the SEARCH feature.