H5N1: Has there been human-to-human transmission, and do now we have a vaccine?

March 2, 2023 2 min read

With H5N1 nonetheless a worldwide concern, Elisabeth Mahase appears on the newest developments, together with preparations for a vaccine

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What’s taking place in Cambodia?

A lot of the highlight has been on Cambodia up to now week, the place an 11 yr outdated woman died after being contaminated with an H5N1 virus. The woman, from Prey Veng province within the south of the nation, was admitted to the Nationwide Paediatric Hospital on 21 February with extreme pneumonia and died a day later. The authorities notified the World Well being Group of the state of affairs and shared the genetic sequencing knowledge, which confirmed that the virus belonged to the influenza A virus subtype H5N1 however was the two.3.2.1c clade, totally different from the clade inflicting concern in different elements of the world.1

Of the woman’s 12 shut contacts who have been recognized (4 with signs, eight with out), just one, the woman’s father, examined constructive for H5N1. The others examined destructive for H5N1 and for SARS-CoV-2.

Does this imply the virus has began to unfold between folks?

Not essentially. Though the investigation into what occurred in Cambodia is ongoing, WHO has mentioned there was presently no proof of human-to-human transmission. In an replace it mentioned, “Whereas additional characterisation of the virus from these human instances is pending, out there epidemiological and virological proof counsel that present A(H5) viruses haven’t acquired the flexibility of sustained transmission amongst people, thus the probability of sustained human-to-human unfold is low.”

Well being officers in Cambodia have additionally mentioned that the instances present no signal of human-to-human transmission.2