How does the avian influenza virus affect humans?

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

Avian flu is an influenza disease caused by Influenza type A viruses. These spread among wild aquatic birds and can infect domestic birds like poultry. Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans. However, rare human infections with bird flu viruses have happened in the past.

Since 2022, pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds and poultry have been reported. Nearly all reported human cases were associated with poultry exposures. Additionally, no mammal-to-human or human-to-human transmission of HPAI A(H5N1) virus has been identified.

H5N1 viruses do not have the ability to easily bind to receptors that predominate in the human upper respiratory tract. Therefore, the current risk to the general population from HPAIA(H5N1) viruses remains low. However, since influenza viruses can imitate and rapidly evolve and due to the wide global prevalence of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses, there are anticipated human infection risks.

Humans who catch a humanized influenza A virus usually have symptoms that include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis, and in severe cases, breathing problems.

The severity of the infection depends in large part on the state of the infected person's immune system and whether they had been exposed to the strain before (in which case they would be partially immune). No one knows if these or other symptoms will be the symptoms of a humanized H5N1 flu.

Influenza testing is widely available in clinical laboratories and healthcare facilities. Assays in these settings would detect A(H5N1) virus infections as influenza A positive and a subset of assays would be able to also determine that they are not influenza A virus subtypes H1 or H3 that commonly circulate among humans.

Various CDC influenza virus diagnostic real-time RT-PCR tests detect typical human (seasonal) viruses or novel influenza A viruses (e.g., H5, H7) that may infect people through zoonotic transmission. Most commercial assays used for human influenza virus testing are likely to detect HPAI A(H5N1) viruses because they target conserved proteins.

Regarding prevention, H5 candidate vaccine viruses (CVV) produced by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are expected to provide good protection against current clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in birds and mammals. These H5 CVVs are available and have been shared with vaccine manufacturers.

The development of influenza candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs), coordinated by WHO (World Health Organization), remains an essential component of the overall global strategy for influenza pandemic preparedness. A library of H5 candidate vaccine viruses (CVV) has been produced with additional recommendations for development.

Treatment:

There is no highly effective treatment for H5N1 flu, but Oseltamivir can sometimes inhibit the influenza virus from spreading inside the individual's body.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.