Oakland County Shares Info on New Bird Flu Strain

A bird flu virus never before found in humans has not been detected in Oakland County or any of the continental U.S., the Oakland County Health Division informed residents late last week.

As of April 4 there had been 11 confirmed cases and three deaths from the new avian influenza A (H7N9), which was first reported April 1.

“Although there is currently no reason for alarm, Public Health remains vigilant and continues to monitor the reports of the H7N9 virus,” Kathy Forzley, an Oakland County Health Division manager/health officer said in a press release on Thursday.

"There are no reports of human-to-human transmissions and no travel health warnings or precautions have been issued for those traveling to and from China at this time," she said.

The infections so far have resulted in severe respiratory illness and, in some cases, death. No human-to-human transmission has been identified and the cases do not currently have a known link to one another, according to the release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is following the situation closely and coordinating with domestic and international partners to gather more information, make a knowledgeable public health risk assessment, and develop a candidate vaccine virus, the release states.

Influenza A H7 viruses are a group of influenza viruses that normally circulate among birds. The influenza A (H7N9) virus is one subgroup among the larger group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses have occasionally been found to infect humans, no human infections with H7N9 viruses had been reported until the recent reports from China.

For more information and updates on H7N9, visit www.oakgov.com/health,
www.facebook.com/publichealthOC or www.twitter.com/publichealthOC.