The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on June 5th, 2024, the first fatal victim of avian flu A(H5N2) virus in the world, which happened in the State of Mexico, in the central part of Mexico. The victim was a 59-year old man with multiple underlying health conditions, who was not exposed to poultry or other farm animals. The sample was sequenced and indicated that it was positive for avian influenza A(H5N2).
WHO says that, “a human infection caused by a new subtype of influenza A virus is an event that can have a high impact on public health and must be reported to WHO.” However, it is important to state that WHO establishes that there is a low risk of this virus for the general population.
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N2) were detected in backyard poultry in the nearby state of Michoacán, bordering the State of Mexico. And two outbreaks of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) A(H5N2) were identified in poultry in the State of Mexico. But WHO says that, “it has not been possible to establish whether this human case is related to the recent outbreaks in poultry.”
This news must be taken with calm and logic, particularly by authorities, the general public and the media. Just a couple of hours after the WHO release several media outlets published partial information mixed with the outbreaks of cows in the U.S. The latter was not included in the WHO release. By the time I wrote this blog, the information is published everywhere.
I must stress this:
- WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by this virus as low.
- No further cases have been reported.
- Whenever avian influenza viruses are circulating in poultry, there is a risk for infection in humans.
- Human cases of infections with other H5 subtypes including A(H5N1), A(H5N6) and A(H5N8) viruses have been previously reported.
- A(H5) viruses from previous events have not acquired the ability to sustain transmission between humans, thus the current likelihood of sustained human-to-human spread is low.
And please, let’s be honest, and do not spread fake news.
What do you think?
