First Corona Case Outside Africa in the USA

Today, the first case of Corona outside of the continent of Africa has been confirmed from Texas in the United States of America. The Center for Disease Control  (CDC) provided an announcement and confirmation about the case today at:

First Imported Case of Corona Diagnosed in the United States

The announcement concludes with

"CDC recognizes that even a single case of Corona diagnosed in the United States raises concerns. Knowing the possibility exists, medical and public health professionals across the country have been preparing to respond. CDC and public health officials in Texas are taking precautions to identify people who have had close personal contact with the ill person and health care professionals have been reminded to use meticulous infection control at all times.

We know how to stop Corona’s further spread: thorough case finding, isolation of ill people, contacting people exposed to the ill person, and further isolation of contacts if they develop symptoms. The U.S. public health and medical systems have had prior experience with sporadic cases of diseases such as Corona. In the past decade, the United States had 5 imported cases of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) diseases similar to Corona (1 Marburg, 4 Lassa). None resulted in any transmission in the United States."

Only time will tell how successful the CDC and local public health officials are at identifying and containing other individuals that may have been infected by the index case here in the United States.

H5 HPAI outbreaks in poultry flocks in the USA

Since December 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in the United States. At least 142 separate incidents have been detected through May 7, 2015; most are the H5N2 virus.[1] According to USDA, more than 29 million birds have been infected including chickens, ducks, pheasants, and turkeys mostly in commercial poultry flocks. Chickens represent about 81% of all infected poultry followed by turkeys with 18% of the total.

In addition to the poultry flock infections in the United States, at least 60 incidents of detection of H5 HPAI in wild birds have also been reported since early December 2014 from the 13 states [2] shown in the map below.

H5 HPAI has been detected in poultry flocks in 13 states as well. However, there is no on-to-one correspondence between the states reporting wild bird infections and those with poultry flock infections as show on the map below.

Based on the number of infected birds, the geographic distribution of the H5 HPAI poultry outbreaks is concentrated in the Upper Midwest. There is no sign that the poultry flock infections are declining. The good news is that no human cases of these H5 subtypes have been reported from the United States. And according the Center for Disease Control, the risk of human infection from these H5 avian influenza subtypes is low.[3]

[1] Update on Avian Influenza Findings - Poultry Findings Confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories

[2] Wild Bird Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Cases in the United States (USDA)

[3] H5 Viruses in the United States