From 2 to 8 October 2026, two new cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) virus were reported to WHO in the Western Pacific Region. Both cases were from China. The first case is an 68-year-old male adult patient from Henan Province, with symptom onset on 17 September 2026. The patient has a history of tuberculosis with no current active lesions, and is currently in a stable condition and remains hospitalized. The case had poultry exposure, with environmental samples testing positive for influenza A(H9). The second case is a 4-year-old boy from Guizhou Province, with symptom onset on 20 September 2026 and has since recovered. The second patient had possible indirect exposure to poultry. All close contacts for both cases tested negative for influenza A viruses.
Since 2015, a total of 185 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2), including two deaths (both with underlying conditions), have been reported to WHO in the Western Pacific Region. Of these, 182 were reported from China, two were from Cambodia, and one was from Viet Nam.
Most human infections with avian influenza A(H9N2) have been associated with exposure to infected poultry or contaminated poultry environments, and the majority of cases have been mild. Sporadic human infections continue to be expected in areas where H9N2 viruses circulate in poultry populations. Current evidence indicates that H9N2 viruses have not acquired the ability for sustained human-to-human transmission, and the risk of further community-level spread remains low.