WHO: Ducks source of H10N5 in Chinese woman coinfection
On 27 January 2024, the National Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China notified WHO of one confirmed case of human coinfection with influenza A(H10N5) virus and seasonal influenza A(H3N2) virus. This is the first case of human infection with avian influenza A(H10N5) virus reported globally.
The case occurred in a female farmer over 60 years of age from Xuancheng Prefecture, Anhui Province, who had onset of symptoms of cough, sore throat and fever on 30 November 2023. The patient, who had a history of chronic comorbidities, was admitted to a local hospital on 2 December 2023 for treatment and was then transferred on 7 December 2023 to a medical institution in Zhejiang Province as her condition became more severe. The patient was diagnosed with influenza A virus infection. She passed away on 16 December 2023. Zhejiang Province health officials isolated seasonal influenza A(H3N2) subtype and avian influenza A(H10N5) subtype viruses from the patient’s samples on 22 January 2024 after nucleic acid testing, viral culture and gene sequencing conducted by local health care facilities.
On 26 January 2024, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted confirmatory testing on the samples from Zhejiang Province and verified the laboratory results. It was noted that the patient had not been vaccinated for seasonal influenza.
The patient had exposure to live poultry through the purchase of a duck on 26 November 2023. From the duck meat stored in the fridge, seven samples tested positive for H10N5, and two samples were positive for N5 (no result for haemagglutinin). The patient had no contact with pigs or other mammals. Environmental samples were collected from her home, and all tested negative.
