By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Human Infected with New Bird Flu Virus Investigated by Taiwan Scientists
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Human Infected with New Bird Flu Virus Investigated by Taiwan Scientists
Global HealthcareNews

Human Infected with New Bird Flu Virus Investigated by Taiwan Scientists

Susan Scutti
Susan Scutti
Share
4 Min Read
bird flu infection
SHARE

bird flu infectionIn May, a 20-year-old delicatessen worker became the first ever human infected with influenza A H6N1 virus, a strain previously found only in birds in Taiwan.

bird flu infectionIn May, a 20-year-old delicatessen worker became the first ever human infected with influenza A H6N1 virus, a strain previously found only in birds in Taiwan. Now, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control in Taiwan have isolated the virus and performed a workup with results that show H6N1 must be added to the growing list of animal viruses that can hop species.

“A genetic analysis of the H6N1 virus … shows a virus that has evolved the ability to target a receptor … found in the human upper respiratory tract, potentially enabling adaptation of the virus to human cells,” lead author Dr Ho-Sheng Wu stated in a press release. 

“Although the total number of recognized human cases is less than 1,000 worldwide, each person infected with an animal influenza virus is judged a threat to public health, because the influenza pandemics of the past 100 years have all emerged from animals,” Marion Koopmans, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands, said in a linked comment, according to the press release.

Can an Influenza Pandemic Be Avoided?

The infected delicatessen worker originally came down with flu-like symptoms and shortness of breath in May. She visited a hospital, responded to treatment with Tamiflu, and has since fully recovered. Of 36 close contacts in her life, six developed a fever or respiratory-tract infection, but H6N1 was ruled out as the cause in each case. Researchers collected samples from two poultry breeding sites near the patient’s home and found no H6N1 virus.

Genome sequencing established that the virus closely resembled chicken H6N1 viruses that have been circulating in Taiwan since 1972. Importantly, the virus had a mutation in a binding protein on the surface of the virus (hemagglutinin), enabling it to get into human cells and cause infection. This may, the research team believes, enable the virus to become more infectious to humans.

“Our findings suggest that a unique group of H6N1 viruses with the human adaption marker G228S have become endemic and predominant in poultry in Taiwan,” Dr Wu stated in the press release. “As these viruses continue to evolve and accumulate changes, they increase the potential risk of human infection.”

Meanwhile, Koopmans wonders what it would take for these viruses to evolve into a pandemic strain. Because H6N1’s contagious capability has now been established, it officially joins the ranks of other possibly pandemic strains, including a number of avian flu subtypes, such as H5N1, H7N2, and swine flu subtypes, such as H1N1, H1N2, and  H3N2.

“An overriding question is if it is time to review our approaches to influenza surveillance at the human–animal interface,” Koopmans stated in her article. Because an essential feature of a pandemic virus is the ability to efficiently transmit from person to person, she believes that research that enhances the ability to predict what viruses might lead to escalating transmission is “urgently needed.”  

Sources: Wei SH, Yang JR, Wu HS, et al. Human infection with avian influenza A H6N1 virus: an epidemiological analysis. The Lancet. 2013.

Koopmans M. Commentary: The expanding list of zoonotic influenza viruses. The Lancet. 2013.

(photo: shutterstock)

TAGGED:bird flu virus
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

Johns Hopkins Medical and IT Researchers Teaming With Harris Corporation to Create Mega Medical Imaging Cloud System

February 17, 2012
use sclerotherapy to treat varicose veins
News

The Key Advantages of Foam Sclerotherapy Treatment

July 13, 2022
healthcare analytics
Global HealthcareTechnology

Can Healthcare Analytics Really Trim Down Your Bills? Let’s Discover Some Valuable Insights

April 15, 2024

ACO Update: A Third Horse Enters the Race

November 18, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?