The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging hospitals to speed up advanced testing for people suspected of having bird flu. This comes after rare cases of bird flu in the US, including a child in San Francisco confirmed to have had H5N1 influenza, that do not appear to be linked to animal exposure.
The CDC’s efforts to track down these patients’ exposures have been hindered by the fact that they became ill days or weeks before testing positive for bird flu. To address this, the CDC is asking state public health laboratories to perform additional tests on all patient samples that test positive for influenza A, identifying specific subtypes of the virus.
Dr. Nirav Shah, CDC Principal Deputy Director, emphasized the importance of timely subtyping to better understand the virus and its transmission. “The system right now tells us what has already happened,” he said. “What we need is to shift to a system that tells us what’s happening in the moment.”
A more streamlined testing system would aid in protecting healthcare workers and contacts, help doctors treat patients with antiviral drugs effectively, and facilitate public health officials’ ability to identify changes in bird flu infections.
Additionally, the CDC has announced $211 million for developing an RNA-based vaccine platform technology against evolving biothreats like bird flu. The agency is also preparing for a smooth transition between administrations, ensuring that career staff will continue to work on the bird flu response.
With around 100,000 Americans hospitalized with type-A flu this season, and another 100,000 expected before its end, the CDC’s urgency comes as key leaders are handing off their efforts to the incoming Trump administration.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/16/health/cdc-urges-doctors-to-speed-subtyping-h5n1-infections/index.html