Post Reply - H5N1/flu (other types)

   https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2024/07/hk-chp-monitoring-another-fatal-h5n6.html or https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2024/07/hk-chp-monitoring-another-fatal-h5n6.html ;
It's been more than 3 years since Anhui province has reported an H5N6 case (link), but today Hong Kong's CHP is reporting on a fatal case (70, F) who fell ill following a visit to a live poultry market in the middle of June and died on July 8th. 
While getting reliable, and timely, reports out of China can be a challenge, this is only the 3rd case reported on the Mainland this year.  The other two cases were from Fujian Province, and all three have proved fatal. 
It is certainly possible that there are cases that are either not being detected by local surveillance, or are simply not reported.  The ECDC chart below shows we are a far cry from where we were in 2021 (n=35 cases). 

But these reports - along with Cambodia's recent surge in clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1 virus infections - remind us that HPAI H5 continues to explore multiple evolutionary paths, and that we may see others emerge over time.

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Recent studies (see mSphere: An HPAI H5N6 Virus With Remarkable Tropism for Extra-respiratory Organs in the Ferret Model) suggest the H5N6 virus continues to adapt to mammalian hosts, while 2 years ago the Lancet published Resurgence of H5N6 Avian Influenza Virus in 2021 Poses New Threat to Public Health.
All of which makes the lack of information coming out of China less than reassuring. 
DJ see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H5N6 or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H5N6 (including a timeline). 