Influenza A (H5N6) virus in humans...

Provinces hosting human cases of H5N6
Adapted from [8]
Click on image to enlarge.

After late December's announcement of a human infection with another avian influenza subtype, H5N6. The tally of human infections by this subtype of FluA stands at 2 - that are reported anyway.

The ever vigilant @FluTrackers (and their line lists, news posts and commentary) and the always alert @Fla_Medic (and his Avian Flu Diary blog) have these cases well covered.

I just wanted to make a summary here for my own reference in making some slides for a talk next month.

1. ~23-April-2014. [1,4,5] 49-year old male (49M) from Nanchong City, Sichuan Province.
   Acute severe pneumonia, died 5-May-2014
   Exposed to dead poultry
2. 3-December 2014. [2] 58M from Guangzhou City in Guangdong province.
   Critical condition in hospital since 9-Dec-2014
   Exposed to live poultry but not ill contacts [3]

There have also been plenty of lethal animal infections by this and other highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI; referring specifically to the bird's outcome) subtypes and strains [7], including:

From an OIE Report 21-Oct-2014. [6]

1. 12,000 quails in Quang Nai Province, Vietnam in 18-Dec-2014
   http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Quang-Ngai-destroys-12000-AH5N6-infected-quails/201412/59394.vnplus
2. 1,338 birds on a farm in Nanbu, Nanchoing City, Sichuan Province, China
   http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public%5C..%5Ctemp%5Creports/en_fup_0000015698_20140731_162951.pdf
3. 20,550 (17,790 fatal) birds on a farm in Shuangcheng District, Heilongjiang Province, China, 23-Aug-2014
   http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public%5C..%5Ctemp%5Creports/en_fup_0000016060_20141024_193420.pdf
4. Birds in Muang Nan and Muang Xayabouly Districts, Luang Prabang and Xayabouly Provinces, Laos in 12:14-Mar-2014
   http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/3/14-1488_article#r4

No sign of anything like sustained human-to-human transmission of this viral subtype to date. But another for the influenza virus Rubik's cube.

References..

1. https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/china-h5n1-h5n8-h5n6-h5n3-h5n2-h10n8-outbreak-tracking/164419-china-man-49-with-acute-severe-pneumonia-died-from-h5n6-nanchong-city-nanbu-county-sichuan-province?t=222782
2. http://www.who.int/csr/don/28-december-2014-avian-influenza/en/
3. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-12/23/c_133874590.htm
4. http://afludiary.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/sichuan-china-1st-known-human-infection.html
5. http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=2451125
6. http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public%5C..%5Ctemp%5Creports/en_fup_0000016060_20141024_193420.pdf
7. UPDATE ON HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA IN ANIMALS (TYPE H5 and H7) from the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), otherwise known as the World Organisation for Animal Health
   http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/update-on-avian-influenza/2014/
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:China_administrative_claimed_included.svg#filelinks