09/01/2022: Lab Advisory: Variant Influenza Virus Infections
Audience: Laboratory Professionals
Level: Laboratory Advisory
On August 30, 2022, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory about recent variant influenza virus infections. In August 2022, CDC received reports of five cases of human infection with variant influenza A viruses that usually spread only in pigs. These cases were identified in West Virginia (3), Oregon (1), and Ohio (1). CDC recommends the following best practices for laboratories:
- Clinical laboratories that collect respiratory specimens from persons suspected to have variant influenza A virus infection should refer these specimens to the appropriate state public health laboratory for subtype-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.
- Public health laboratories (PHLs) should immediately send influenza A virus specimens that cannot be subtyped or are presumptive variant influenza positive (using methods as outlined in the assay’s Instructions for Use) to CDC and submit all specimens that are otherwise unusual as soon as possible after identification. PHLs should email flusupport@cdc.gov to alert CDC that they have a specimen to submit.
Please review the HAN in detail and share this message widely with your networks.
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Questions?
- If you are a clinical or public health laboratory professional, contact LOCS.
- For media inquiries, contact the CDC Newsroom.
- For all other questions, contact CDC-INFO.
Thank you,
The Laboratory Outreach Communication System
Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)