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In 2014, 366 human cases of avian influenza infection from four subtypes, A(H7N9), A(H5N1), A(H5N6) and A(H10N8) were reported from 7 countries, China, Egypt, Taiwan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The case-fatality risk ranged from possibly as low as .22 to as high as .67 among these subtypes in 2014. There is no evidence among any of these subtypes of sustained human-to-human transmission. Influenza viruses that easily circulate among human populations are referred to as seasonal influenza viruses and can cause severe illness in 3 to 5 million individuals annually.[1] Avian influenza Type A viruses that cause infection in birds are referred to as avian influenza viruses. These viruses occur naturally among wild birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.[2] These avian influenza viruses circulating in bird populations do not usually infect humans. However, sometimes humans can become infected with avian influenza subtypes which hav...

It is well known that non-pandemic influenza has a seasonal repeating periodicity, especially in temperate climates [1]. The causes of seasonal cycles of influenza infections are not well understood. However, an analysis of seasonality of influenza around the world in a recent PLOS article indicates that cold-dry and humid-rainy conditions are associated with peaks in the frequency of seasonal influenza cases in different regions [2]. The authors in this article suggest that “these two distinct mechanisms account for influenza seasonality in temperate and tropical climates, perhaps due to changes in the dominant mode of transmission.” In the past decade there have been several outbreaks of novel influenza infections, including (A)H5N1, (A)H7N9, and (A)H10N8. Based on limited data, it does appear that novel influenza infections follow the same seasonal pattern as non-pandemic influenza. For example, H7N9 was first reported by the Republic of China to the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

The first reported human case of a novel influenza A(H10N8) subtype was reported in November 2013. A 73-year-old woman from the Donghu District, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province in China experienced onset on November 28, 2013. She died nine days later on December 6, 2013.[1]  Since then two additional human cases of H10N8 have been reported. The second is 55-year-old woman who was hospitalized on January 15, 2014. This woman is from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.[1] And today the third human case of H10N8 has been reported, also from Nanchang, in Jiangxi Province.   This 75-year-old man died on February 8, 2014, just three days after being hospitalized.[2] As with most novel influenza strains, H10N8 seems to be circulating among poultry populations in China resulting in sporadic jumps from poultry to humans.   With only three reported human H10N8 cases it is not possible to assess the pandemic potential of this new influenza virus.[3] Surveillance for human cases and poultry outb...