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
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • 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
Last updated: November 15, 2013 9:11 am
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

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Joining the Discussion

January 9, 2012

Why You Won’t See a Bold Medicare Plan From Mitt Romney

November 9, 2011
Image
BusinessNews

More Physicians Entering Primary Care, But Not Enough

March 20, 2013

What Do We Really Know About Patients?

September 28, 2014
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?