Utah - 1 New Human H3N2v Case identified in Weber County - "contact with swine" cited

[Giuseppe Michieli]

[Source: KSL Utah, full text: (LINK).]

Swine flu virus identified in Weber County


By Wendy Leonard

April 11th, 2012 @ 11:21am


OGDEN — A Weber County resident has tested positive for a novel flu virus, similar to those that circulate in pigs. The A/H3N2v virus has been identified in several isolated cases in the United States, but Wednesday's announcement by the Weber-Morgan Health Department was regarding the first in Utah. The virus was confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(…)

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[Giuseppe Michieli]

Weber-Morgan Health Department website: http://www.webermorganhealth.org/

[Giuseppe Michieli]

[Source: NECN.com, full text: (LINK).]

Weber County resident contracts rare swine flu



Apr 11, 2012 1:40pm


OGDEN, Utah (AP) — A Weber County resident has been diagnosed with a rare form of swine flu that's been identified in the U.S. only a handful of times.
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[Giuseppe Michieli]

The strain is the same identified in Iowa november 2011 (see MMWR report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a3.htm )case, according Weber-Morgan Health Department message on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/webermorgan...ermorganhealth

[alert]

Originally Posted by Giuseppe Michieli

The strain is the same identified in Iowa november 2011 (see MMWR report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a3.htm )case, according Weber-Morgan Health Department message on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/webermorgan...ermorganhealth

Will be interesting to see a sequence on this one. The comments above suggest this virus has the M gene from the 2009 pandemic virus. This appears to be the 13th confirmed human infection with such a virus.

The facebook link above indicates the patient has already recovered.

Also would be nice to know what swine contact (or not) the individual had.

[alert]

http://fox13now.com/2012/04/11/weber...vel-flu-virus/

Weber County resident tests positive for novel flu virus
Posted on: 11:14 am, April 11, 2012, by David Wells and Brittany Green-Miner, updated on: 02:26pm, April 11, 2012

A Weber County resident is one of 13 people in the United States who tested positive for a novel influenza virus in the past year.

The A/H3N2v virus is genetically similar to viruses that circulate in pigs.

“Fortunately, this individual is getting better,” said Gary House, director of the Weber-Morgan Health Department. “We know there have been 12 other cases with in the past year in the United States that have also fully recovered. We are working with the CDC, the Utah Department of Health and Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to determine how the individual was exposed to this particular flu virus.”

The Weber County resident was not hospitalized and recovered at home. House reminds the community to take preventive measures such as covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home while ill and washing hands frequently.

[alert]

This may be suggestive of no swine contact (or at least none that they are aware of yet), suggesting this was found through routine surveillance:

http://www.necn.com/04/11/12/Weber-C...3f263efbbbc648

[snip]

Weber-Morgan health officials say they're trying to determine how the Utah resident was exposed to the virus.

[Laidback Al]

I presume this is the same case - a child with swine contact.

Novel Influenza A H3N2 – Confirmed
April 9, 2012
On March 29 a child between the ages of 0-5 presented to a local ER with a high fever, sore throat, and intermittent headache. The child tested positive for influenza A and was sent home with Tamiflu. The child was never hospitalized and has since recovered without any adverse effects. Through routine surveillance, the specimen was forwarded to the Unified State Laboratories: Public Health for subtyping. Testing results suggested a variant influenza strain, which was confirmed today as swine-origin influenza A H3N2 by CDC.
The child had contact a week prior with swine at a family-owned slaughterhouse. At this time, no additional ill persons have been found. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food will be leading an investigation to determine if any swine at the facility are still ill and if testing of the swine is possible.
At this time, public health in Utah considers the case an isolated incident and does not see any indication for risk in the general public. . . .

http://canyonviewmedical.com/blog/?p=195

[alert]

Amazing find, Laidback Al. So it was found through routine surveillance, but contact tracing revealed contract with swine.

[alert]

Hat-tip Shiloh. Confirming what was suspected above about the make-up of this virus:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...unewsscan.html

Apr 11, 2012

Novel H3N2 flu case reported in Utah
Health officials in Utah today announced that a Weber County resident has tested positive for a novel reassortant H3N2 (H3N2v) influenza virus, the same strain that sickened 12 patients last summer and fall in five other states. A press release from the Weber-Morgan Health Department (WMHD), based in Ogden, said tests by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Utah Department of Health (UDH) confirmed the finding. The swine-origin H3N2v strain includes the M (matrix) gene from the pandemic 2009 H1N1 (pH1N1) virus. Gary House, MPH, director of the WMHD, said in the statement that the CDC and Utah officials are trying to determine how the individual was exposed to the virus. He said the patient was not hospitalized and has recovered at home. The patient's contacts have been asked to report any flu-like symptoms. He advised the community to take routine flu-prevention precautions such as covering coughs and sneezes, staying home when sick, and washing hands frequently.

[Giuseppe Michieli]

bump this

[Emily]

Originally Posted by Giuseppe Michieli

Not reachable from Italy:

I sent an email to the webmaster, Giuseppe. Italy must have been blocked in error. If you want to contact them, here is the email:

webmaster @ co.weber.ut.us

(Just take out the spaces.)

[Giuseppe Michieli]

Thank you Emily for the tip.

[alert]

Hat-tip Ironorehopper.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/h3...riant-utah.htm

First H3N2 Variant Virus Infection Reported For 2012
April 12, 2012 – The first human infection with an influenza A H3N2 variant (H3N2v) virus in 2012 has been reported in a child by the state of Utah. CDC has confirmed this virus is very similar to the 12 H3N2v viruses that infected 12 people in the United States in the latter half of 2011. The virus contains genes from human, swine and avian influenza viruses, and the M gene from the 2009 H1N1 virus. Swine exposure has been reported for this case. Animal and public health investigations are currently underway to determine the source of this infection and if there are additional human cases. The report will be officially reported in the April 13, 2012 FluView influenza surveillance report.

After seeking medical care for a fever in late March, the patient in Utah tested positive for influenza A and was treated with oseltamivir, which is one of two antiviral drugs known as “neuraminidase inhibitors” currently recommended by CDC for the treatment of influenza virus infections, including infections with variant influenza viruses. The child recovered at home.

The case in Utah was detected through routine surveillance, when the influenza-positive sample from the medical visit was forwarded to the state public health laboratory for further characterization. Testing at the state public health laboratory identified the sample as a possible variant influenza virus. Follow-up testing at CDC confirmed that this is an influenza A H3N2v virus.

When a virus that is known to circulate in swine but not in people is identified in a person, it is called a “variant influenza virus.” The case in Utah brings the number of human infections with H3N2v viruses detected in the United States to 21 since July 2009. Thirteen of those 21 H3N2v viruses have had the 2009 H1N1 M gene and have occurred since July 2011. Twelve of these 13 cases have occurred in children younger than 18 years old. All patients have recovered from their illness. The previously identified 12 human infections with viruses like this one occurred in Indiana (2), Pennsylvania (3), Maine (2), Iowa (3) and West Virginia (2) between July and November 2011. None of the 13 viruses studied have any genetic markers known to confer resistance to the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®).

About half of the 12 infections in 2011 with H3N2v viruses like this one involved the patients being exposed to swine before becoming ill. The prevalence of this virus in swine is unknown, but it has been detected in U.S. swine through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) swine influenza surveillance program. Limited human-to-human transmission with this virus is suspected to have occurred in Iowa and West Virginia in November 2011.

An article in the April 13, 2011 Morbidity and Mortality Report Weekly Report entitled “Antibodies Cross-Reactive to Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Virus and Impact of 2010-11 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination on Cross-Reactive Antibodies” looked at whether a seasonal flu shot might create antibodies that would be protective of infection with these H3N2v viruses. The study found that the seasonal flu shot would not be expected to protect against H3N2v in young children, and would only provide limited protection against H3N2v viruses in adults. The study results imply that if these H3N2v viruses were to begin to spread easily and widely in people, an H3N2v-specific influenza vaccine would be needed to provide the best protection against H3N2v viruses.

CDC produced an H3N2v vaccine candidate virus. A precautionary vaccine against H3N2v is in development and will likely be ready for clinical trials in the coming months.

The total number of variant influenza virus infections in humans reported in the United States since December 2005 now stands at 36. The remaining 15 infections were with other variant influenza viruses, including H1N2v and H1N1v.

Human infections with influenza viruses that commonly circulate in swine are still rare events, but the frequency with which they have been detected has increased recently. These cases should be carefully investigated jointly by public and animal health officials to determine the source of the infection and ensure that no additional human infections occur or that there is no ongoing human-to-human transmission.

•The Weber-Morgan Health Department Press Release on this case is available at http://www.webermorganhealth.org/vie...ess_id=23&id=1.
•For CDC recommendations to the public about H3N2v see Fact Sheet: Protect Yourself Against H3N2v and Seasonal Influenza (Flu).
•For more information about variant influenza viruses see Variant (Swine Origin) Influenza Viruses in Humans.
•For more information about H3N2 variant viruses see Information on H3N2 Variant Influenza A Viruses.
•For more information about swine influenza, see Swine Influenza (Influenza in Swine).

[alert]

http://www.promedmail.org/

Published Date: 2012-04-12 10:30:23
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza (28): USA (UT) H3N2v isolation
Archive Number: 20120412.1098447

INFLUENZA (28): USA (UTAH) H3N2V ISOLATION
******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Wed 11 Apr 2012
Source: Weber-Morgan Health Department, press release [edited]
http://www.webermorganhealth.org/vie...ess_id=23&id=1


Confirmed case of H3N2v infection in Weber County
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Weber-Morgan Health Department [WMHD] received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and the Utah Department of Health that a Weber County resident has tested positive for a novel influenza virus [the swine-origin H3N2 reassortant now designated H3N2v] that has been identified in several isolated cases in the United States.

The individual was not hospitalized and recovered at home. As a precaution, all known contacts have been advised to watch for fever, cough, and other flu-like symptoms and to contact their physician if necessary.

While considered novel, the A/H3N2v, influenza virus is genetically similar to those which circulate in pigs. It is common practice for the CDC to monitor diseases that are capable of transmitting from animals to humans, says Gary House, director of the Weber-Morgan Health Department.

"Fortunately, this individual is getting better,"ù House said. "We know there have been 12 other cases with in the past year in the United States that have also fully recovered. We are working with the CDC, the Utah Department of Health, and Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to determine how the individual was exposed to this particular flu virus."

As with all other flu viruses, House reminds the community to take preventive measures such as covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home while ill, and washing hands frequently. "We learned from the H1N1 experience of 2009 that the public's willingness to follow these simple precautions is the best line of defense." House said.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[Previously cases of human infection with this variant H3N2 virus (H3N2v) have been seen in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Maine, and West Virginia. Most have been in children younger than 10 and none of the cases has died. 6 of the 12 had exposure to pigs but in the other 6, no contact with swine could be found. The CDC has said it believes some of these cases are the result of human-to-human spread, but suggests spread among people is probably still limited at this point.

Swine influenza virus (SIV) H3N2 with triple reassorted internal genes (TRIG) has been enzootic in US since 1998. Transmission of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus to pigs in the US was followed by reassortment with endemic SIV, resulting in reassorted viruses that include the novel H3N2 genotypes (rH3N2p). The swine-origin H3N2v strain includes the M (matrix) gene from the pandemic 2009 H1N1 (pH1N1) virus.

The state of Utah can be seen on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/2aBt. A map showing the location of Weber county in the north of the state can be accessed at http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/utah.shtml. - Mod.CP]

[alert]

http://metronews.ca/news/world/10229...d-in-us-child/

April 12, 2012 Updated: April 12, 2012 | 7:33 pm

New case of swine H3N2 flu found in U.S. child
By Helen Branswell
The Canadian Press

This scanning electron micrograph view depicts some of the ultrastructural details displayed by swine-origin H3N2 influenza viruses responsible for causing illness in Indiana, Maine, Iowa, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

TORONTO – After a lull of several months, an influenza virus that is sporadically jumping from pigs to people in the United States has made yet another appearance.

U.S. public health officials have reported a new human infection with the swine-origin H3N2 virus — officially called H3N2v (for variant) virus. The case is a young girl living in Utah; she is the 13th person known to have been infected with this new virus since it was first spotted last July.

Twelve of the 13 cases have been children under 18. In this case, state officials are asking that the girl’s precise age not be revealed.

[snip]