Final Friday, US authorities stated a baby in California had develop into the primary within the US to check constructive for chicken flu an infection. Well being officers provided checks and preventive therapy to uncovered contacts on the kid’s day-care centre.
The kid had gentle signs and was stated to be recovering at residence following therapy with flu antivirals.
“Together with this most up-to-date case, 55 human circumstances of H5 chicken flu have now been reported within the US throughout 2024, with 29 in California,” the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated.
Van Kerkhove stated all however two of these had identified publicity to contaminated animals.
“We now have not seen proof of human-to-human an infection. However once more, for every of those human-detected circumstances, we wish to see a really thorough investigation happening,” she stated.
“We want a lot stronger efforts when it comes to decreasing the danger of an infection between animals to new species and to people,” she added, notably by means of testing and correct protecting tools.
Van Kerkhove, who was the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, pressured the significance of getting ready “for when or if we shall be in a state of affairs the place we’re in a flu pandemic”.
“We’re not in that state of affairs but, however we do want extra vigilance.”
