The first case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza in Australia was a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who had traveled to India
The World Health Organization said on the 7th that Australia confirmed and reported the country's first case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza. The patient was a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who has been discharged from hospital and is in good health.
Agence France-Presse reported, citing a WHO statement, that the girl traveled to Kolkata, India, with her family from February 12 to 29 this year, returned to Australia on March 1, and was admitted to a hospital in Victoria the next day. On March 4, her condition worsened and she was transferred to a hospital in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state. She received intensive care treatment for a week and was discharged after being hospitalized for two and a half weeks.
The girl tested positive for influenza A while hospitalized, and relevant samples were sent to the hospital in April for more in-depth qualitative analysis. The WHO said viral genetic sequences obtained from the samples confirmed the H5N1 avian influenza virus, "a subtype that is endemic in Southeast Asia and has been detected in previous cases of human infection and in poultry."
According to the WHO, "Although the source of exposure to the virus in this case is currently unknown, the exposure likely occurred in India." However, the girl has not been found to have come into contact with any known sick people or animals during her stay in Kolkata.
The WHO said that relevant parties in India have been notified and have carried out relevant epidemiological investigations.
The girl is now in good health. According to Reuters, as of May 22, none of his relatives in Australia and India have shown symptoms of avian influenza infection.
According to Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Care in the United States, the efficiency of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 avian influenza virus is not high, and the girl's infection may be caused by "hidden animal contact" .