Carl T. BergstromFeb 24, 2023

I've been following #H5N1 avian influenza for twenty years.

Today's news of a young girl's death from H5N1 in Cambodia is tragic and the news that 4 of 12 contacts are showing influenza-like symptoms is worrisome.

It's not time to panic yet by any means—we've seen similar events a number of times—but obviously we'll be watching closely.

Whatever happens, we need to be taking steps *now* to bolster rapid production capacity for cellular H5N1 vaccines such as Audenz.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/bird-flu-death-cambodian-child-sparks-global-alarm/

Bird flu kills school girl and infects father – 11 others under observation

Cambodian authorities test close-contacts for H5N1 after child's death. The possibility of human-to-human transmission has sparked alarm

The Telegraph
Show threadCarl T. Bergstrom

At of tonight it looks as though only one contact, the girl’s father, has tested positive for H5N1. While human-to-human transmission is not ruled out, parallel zoonotic transmissions from a common environmental source seem far more likely.

When these cases are first announced, information is often sketchy and translation errors, such as yesterday’s that suggested 12 downstream cases, are common.

https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2023/bird-flu-cambodia-death

Human Bird Flu Cases Investigated in Cambodia

Two family members were infected with H5N1; the daughter died. Eleven contacts, some with symptoms, have tested negative, according to the W.H.O.

The New York Times
Feb 25, 2023 at 7:33amWeb
Show threadCarl T. BergstromFeb 26, 2023
Via @HelenBranswell, it appears that these two cases were infected with an older strain (2.3.2.1c) of H5N1, rather than the strain of current concern that is sweeping the globe. This, coupled with the absence of further reports of human cases, makes it likely that daughter and father both contracted H5N1 directly from their flock of birds and that there was no human-to-human transmission involved.
Show threadHelen BranswellFeb 26, 2023
@ct_bergstrom thanks, Carl. I do wonder if the father was truly infected given he was asymptomatic. Either way, glad the other contacts were negative.
Show threadElizabeth Loves DEIFeb 26, 2023
@ct_bergstrom @HelenBranswell , what a relief.
Show threadJoeFeb 26, 2023

Nature's lesson in humility for those like me who immediately assumed it was the current widely circulating avian flu.

Also didn't know that there are around 40 human H5N1 cases per year worldwide.

Show threadRyan HagenFeb 27, 2023
@ct_bergstrom @HelenBranswell slightly unrelated but what’s your take on DOE’s weighing in on the SARS COV 2 lab leak? The news reports seem to be just totally empty of any real information and it’s hard as someone without expertise in virology to know what to make of it.