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Technical report : Highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses
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March 17, 2023
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Description:Updated March 17, 2023
An addendum to this report was posted on April 17, 2023. The addendum summarizes the case and genomic analysis of the virus from the first H5N1 infection reported in a human in Chile. The overall risk to human health associated with the ongoing A(H5N1) outbreaks in wild birds and poultry has not changed and remains low at this time.
Since 2022, despite the wide geographic spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds and to poultry worldwide, with sporadic spillover to mammals, only a small number of sporadic human cases of A(H5N1) have been identified. All reported human cases since 2022 were associated with recent poultry exposures, and no cases of human-to-human transmission have been identified. To date, HPAI A(H5N1) viruses currently circulating in birds and poultry, with spillover to mammals, and those that have caused human infections do not have the ability to easily bind to receptors that predominate in the human upper respiratory tract. Therefore, the current risk to the public from HPAI A(H5N1) viruses remains low. However, because of the potential for influenza viruses to rapidly evolve and the wide global prevalence of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds and poultry outbreaks, continued sporadic human infections are anticipated. Continued comprehensive surveillance of these viruses in wild birds, poultry, mammals, and people worldwide, and frequent reassessments are critical to determine the public health risk, along with ongoing preparedness efforts.
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