The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Alert regarding accelerated subtyping of influenza A in hospitalized patients. The alert provides more in-depth background, testing, clinical management, and laboratory guidance on this topic.
The CDC and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) are hosting a Clinician Call about avian influenza Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. ET. This webinar is designed to provide the clinician community with the critical information needed to stay ahead in managing this emerging threat. Registration is required.
The CDC and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) have routinely recommended influenza testing for hospitalized patients with suspected influenza. This updated guidance aims to improve detection of human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 by accelerating subtype identification for hospitalized patients with influenza A, particularly patients in an intensive care unit (ICU).
In the current respiratory season (September 29, 2024 – January 11, 2025), influenza A subtyping has been performed for 2,239 Kentucky residents. Of these, 47% have been identified as influenza A(H1), 52% as influenza A(H3), and 1% co-infections with influenza A(H1) and A(H3). No human influenza A(H5) infections have been identified in Kentucky.
Enhancing and expediting influenza A virus subtyping of specimens from hospitalized patients, especially for those in an ICU, can identify patients who are negative for seasonal influenza A(H1) and A(H3) but may have avian influenza A(H5) infection. The KDPH requests that subtyping be performed in the hospital or commercial clinical laboratory within 24 hours, when possible. If influenza A virus subtyping is not available through one of these routes, please contact the KDPH Division of Laboratory Services (DLS) at (502) 564- 4446 or at matthew.johnson@ky.gov to make arrangements for influenza A virus-positive specimens from hospitalized patients to be subtyped at DLS.
