7 new potential cases and (yet) unknown origin

Multiple confirmed cases of H5N1 avian influenza in the same hospital in Missouri, USA. They alerted health authoritieswhich are investigating whether infection could have occurred from person to person.

In particular, there are seven people who symptoms of the disease appeared after contact with a patient hospitalized for various pathologies. Six of them belonged to medical personnel, and one was a family member of the patient.

US Center for Disease Control (CDC) serological tests confirmed that it was avian influenzainfluenza A(H5N1) virus disease, representing the first known case in the state and the first in the country to require hospitalization, although The origin of the infection was unknown.

Meanwhile, birds are experiencing the worst influenza epidemic in history, caused by the avian influenza virus, although some have been recorded. cases of pathogen transition to different types wild and agricultural mammals.

unknown origin

A man hospitalized in August 2024 presented two new mutations of an already known virus and that, in addition, he repeatedly jumped from birds to people. However, the path of contact conceals a great unknown: the patient He claimed that he had no contact with farm animals. none of the most common routes of infection.

In total, there are already more than 14 people potentially infected with the H5N1 variant in the US this year in an outbreak that has affected different states, but so far all of these infections could be explained, they were mild and represented isolated cases. However, the current situation in Missouri deviates from this norm and has authorities concerned that the virus can be transmitted between people.

Experts inside and outside the country expressed dissatisfaction with the opaque process what is happening to quickly confirm these potential cases, and they consider it very important to find out whether there are new routes of infection, given that Bird flu threatens to become the next pandemic.

FROM BIRDS TO MAN

The bird flu crisis began in the late 1990s and continues to this day, with no clear signs of abating. During this time hundreds of millions of birds had to be sacrificed infected with a highly pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus, known as 2.3.4.4b, which is widespread throughout the world.

But these animals are not the only ones who have suffered from the consequences of the epidemic. bird flu It also greatly affected several species of mammals. farm, some wild animals, and also people. The 2.3.4.4b variant has infected more than 800 people, mainly through contact with a sick animal, a dangerous mortality rate of 52%.

INFECTION FROM PERSON TO PERSON?

The most effective way to find out whether the cases in Missouri are directly related to each other – that is, whether they infected each other or simply shared a common source of infection – is to test people who are symptomatic and who have had close contact with the cases. The patient is given a blood test with hemagglutination of red blood cells. look for antibodies against hemagglutinin H5, a protein characteristic of avian influenza.

At this time, government health authorities have not confirmed that these tests have yielded conclusive results, so they claim that It cannot be said that the virus spreads between people. However, if this is confirmed, it will beFirst case of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus in the country. At this time, the Missouri Department of Health considers the risk to human health to be low.