‘India must be wary of new influenza viruses’

India should be prepared for the invasion of new influenza viruses of avian origin, especially H9N2, according to Robert G. Webster, a world-renowned authority on influenza viruses and emeritus Professor, Division of Virology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, U.S.

He says it is “a rather benign but extremely dangerous virus which can sometimes affect humans” and which is currently very active in poultry markets in Bangladesh and China.

The other potential threat for India was the H7N9 influenza virus, which could be carried across the Himalayas from China by geese, the same way H5N1 came in 2006.

So far, H7N9 outbreaks have been confined to China, where 677 human cases were reported, with about one-third of infected humans dying, he said.

Dr. Webster, who was in the city recently as part of the foundation day celebrations of the Union Department of Biotechnology, was talking about the pandemic potential of influenza viruses. He was hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.

H5N1 is now endemic in Bangladesh and shows up occasionally in India, as it did in Kerala last year.

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points:-

• H9N2 is a subtype of the species Influenza A virus (bird flu virus). H9N2 influenza virus is the gene donor for H7N9 and H10N8 viruses that are infecting humans nowadays.
• H7N9 is a bird flu strain of the species Influenza virus A (avian influenza virus or bird flu virus).
• Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). The avian influenza A(H7N9) virus designation of H7N9 identifies it as having HA of the H7 subtype and NA of the N9 subtype.
• Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.

Source : The Hindu, 21-Nov-2015