H5N1 Virus Found in 99 Cats, 18 Killed
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, as of February 20, 2025, H5N1 has been found in 99 cats and has killed 18 cats. This information was shared by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) on April 21, days after a report in The Hindu about NIV not sharing sequence data before publication.
The H5N1 sequence data was collected from a two-year-old girl from Narasaraopeta in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh. The girl was admitted to AIIMS-Mangalagiri on March 4, 2025, and the ICMR’s Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) identified the virus as influenza A on March 7. The sample was sent to NIV for Influenza A virus subtyping, where it was identified as N5N1. The Andhra Pradesh government was informed about the result on March 31.
Sharing the genome sequence data should happen as soon as they are available, says Dr. Gautam Menon, Professor of Physics and Biology at Ashoka University.
Reference : https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/niv-shares-h5n1-genome-data-in-a-public-database/article69497687.ece
