The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in their latest FluView an additional case of human infection with a novel influenza A virus.

Image/Mutinka
Image/Mutinka

The case was reported during the week of Dec. 3 in Iowa.

This person was infected with an influenza A(H3N2) variant [A(H3N2)v] virus and reported direct contact with swine during the week preceding illness onset. The patient was an adult < 50 years of age, was not hospitalized, and has fully recovered from their illness. No human-to-human transmission has been identified.

A total of 67 variant virus infections have been reported to CDC during 2017. Sixty-two of these have been A(H3N2)v viruses (Delaware [1], Iowa [1], Maryland [39], Michigan [2], Nebraska [1], North Dakota [1], Ohio [15], Pennsylvania [1], and Texas [1]), one was an influenza A(H1N1) variant [A(H1N1)v] (Iowa [1]) virus, and four were influenza A(H1N2) variant [A(H1N2)v] viruses (Colorado [1] and Ohio [3]). Six of these 67 infections resulted in hospitalization; all patients have recovered.

The CDC describes variant influenza viruses as follows:

When an influenza virus that normally circulates in swine (but not people) is detected in a person, it is called a “variant influenza virus.” For example, if a swine origin influenza A H3N2 virus is detected in a person, that virus will be called an “H3N2 variant” virus or “H3N2v” virus.

Most commonly, human infections with variant viruses have occurred in people exposed to infected pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of multiple persons becoming sick after exposure to one or more sick pigs. Also cases of limited person-to-person spread of variant viruses have occurred.

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