09.05.2014

Laos reports an H5N6 outbreak of HPAI in poultry in Nator Ngai, Xayabury. Sequencing analysis of original samples from both chickens and ducks shows that these are H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, with the highly pathogenic HA cleavage site sequence motif, PLRERRRKR*GLF. This is the first report of HPAI H5N6 in birds. Recently, a LPAI H5N6 virus was reported to cause (subclinical) infection in poultry and a fatal human case in Sichuan, central China.