Novel H1N1 in Canada Has H274Y

[HenryN]

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=267538&sc=4

Province hit with new, but non-pandemic, flu virus
health
ANGELA HILL
The Prince Albert Daily Herald


A new influenza virus has been discovered in Saskatchewan.

The so-called non-pandemic influenza A virus was confirmed in two hog-farm workers in the east of the province and a third case is still under investigation.

"Ongoing H1N1 surveillance in Saskatchewan detected this virus and we will continue to aggressively monitor and test Saskatchewan residents in the affected areas," Dr. Moira McKinnon, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, said Tuesday.

All of the workers have made a full recovery.

Provincial health, agriculture and food safety agencies are working with the national public health agency to try to better understand the new virus.

The province is also taking precautionary measures, which include reinforced bio-security in and around the affected hog operation, vaccination of hog-farm workers and heightened surveillance of humans and hogs.

Dr. Greg Douglas, Saskatchewan's chief veterinary officer, said the pigs at the operation are not showing signs of this virus and it will not affect the province's pork industry.

"There have been no signs of increased illness in this herd and the pigs are under constant veterinary care," he said.

Viruses can move from animal to people, but it is very rare that such a virus then moves between humans.

According to McKinnon, there has been no evidence found that this one has yet passed between people.

This new strain was found when the workers fell ill and tested positive for both seasonal and H1N1 influenza A. McKinnon said it is rare to have two viruses and it turned out the workers had a new virus.

Changes in flu virus are normal, but the detection of a novel virus is rare and in part due to the heightened surveillance, said McKinnon.

This new influenza is an animal strain that has been circulating in swine populations in North America since 1997.

It has been combined with two genes from the H1N1 seasonal flu, said Dr. Frank Plummer, scientific director-general of the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg.

"We think because of the genetic sequence of the virus, we think it would be resistant to Tamiflu," he said.

However, health experts believe the strain responds to the current seasonal flu vaccine.

ahill@paherald.sk.ca

[HenryN]

Clearly the N1 is recent and there is little reason why this virus would NOT transmit H2H.

[wotan]

Even if it is only circulating locally (even in and around Saskatchewan) then that would represent another means for pandemic H1N1 to acquire Tamiflu resistance:

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/.../index-eng.php

The most recent FluWatch shows SK adding new cases:

Total number of influenza tests performed and number of positive tests
by province/territory of testing laboratory, Canada, 2008-2009

184 new influenza cases, presumably all of which are the pandemic strain. Unfortunately the subtype chart later in FluWatch shows season-long totals only, and not current week.

[hornblower]

Originally Posted by wotan

184 new influenza cases, presumably all of which are the pandemic strain. Unfortunately the subtype chart later in FluWatch shows season-long totals only, and not current week.

I think the Respiratory Virus Detection/Isolation reports might have more detailed data for you:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/bid-bmi/d.../index-eng.php

[sharon sanders]

Also see previous Novel H1N1 Canada thread started by Shiloh:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...835#post262835

[wotan]

Thanks, it looks like that is a week ahead of FluWatch. Based on the report for the same week as the referenced FluWatch there were:

Province of/de la Saskatchewan 554 155 5 0 184 0

Where that means 554 test, 155 pandemic strain, 5 seasonal H1, no H3, 184 A total, and no B. There are 24 positives not accounted for, most of which are likely to be pandemic strain statistically, but a few could conceivably be the novel non-pandemic strain.

[HenryN]

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