WHO Confirms Italy’s First Imported Human H9N2 Bird Flu Case

Casablanca – Italy has reported its first imported human case of avian influenza A(H9N2), involving an adult man who recently returned from Senegal, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The case is also the first imported human H9N2 infection recorded in the WHO’s European Region.

According to the WHO, Italy’s National International Health Regulations focal point notified the agency on March 21 after identifying the infection in a man who had spent more than six months in Senegal before traveling to Italy in mid-March. Shortly after arriving, he went to an emergency department with a fever and a persistent cough.

A bronchoalveolar lavage sample collected on March 16 initially tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and also detected an unsubtypeable influenza A virus. The patient was immediately placed in a negative-pressure isolation room under airborne precautions and treated with both antitubercular drugs and the antiviral oseltamivir.

Further lab work by a regional reference laboratory identified the A(H9) subtype on March 20. One day later, next-generation sequencing confirmed it as influenza A(H9N2). Additional characterization by Italy’s National Influenza Center found the virus was closely related to strains previously detected in poultry in Senegal, suggesting the infection was likely acquired from an avian source there.

Health authorities said the man reported no known exposure to poultry, wildlife, rural settings, or anyone with similar symptoms before falling ill. The source of exposure remains under investigation.

Officials traced contacts in both Senegal and Italy. Contacts in Senegal remained asymptomatic, while all identified contacts in Italy tested negative for influenza, completed active monitoring and quarantine in line with national guidelines, and received oseltamivir as a preventive measure. By April 9, the patient’s condition was described as stable and improving.

WHO said human infections caused by novel influenza A virus subtypes must be reported because of their potential public health impact. Still, based on current evidence, it assessed the risk posed by A(H9N2) viruses to the general population as low, while continuing to monitor the situation globally.

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