Key facts
- On 29 April 2026, WHO reported a fatal human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection in a child from Bangladesh with disease onset on 21 January 2026.
- The patient had exposure to sick and dead poultry before disease onset; environmental samples tested positive for A(H5) from poultry in the community and from frozen chicken meat from the household freezer.
- No new cases have been detected among close contacts of the case.
- Since 2003, a total of 998 confirmed human cases of A(H5N1) have been reported worldwide, including 478 deaths (case fatality rate (CFR): 48%).
- ECDC’s risk assessment for A(H5N1) remains unchanged. Overall, the risk related to zoonotic influenza for the general population in the EU/EEA is considered low.
Overview
On 29 April 2026, WHO reported a fatal human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection in a child from Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. The child developed symptoms on 21 January 2026, was hospitalised on 28 January and admitted to intensive care on 31 January, and died on 1 February 2026. The patient had no known comorbidities.
A nasopharyngeal swab collected on 29 January 2026 through the hospital-based influenza surveillance platform tested positive for influenza A(H5) by real-time RT-PCR at the National Influenza Centre (IEDCR) on 7 February 2026. Whole genome sequencing at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) identified A(H5N1) clade 2.3.2.1a (Gs/GD lineage), consistent with strains circulating in poultry in Bangladesh since 2011. Sequence data are available in GISAID (EPI_ISL_20367262; submitted 19 February 2026; IEDCR).
Epidemiological investigation identified exposure to household poultry; two ducks and one chicken reportedly died shortly before illness onset. Animal and environmental investigations by icddr,b found influenza A(H5) by RT-PCR in two duck samples from the community and in two chicken meat samples from the household freezer; serology was also performed. Samples from symptomatic close human contacts tested negative for influenza A(H5).
This is the first confirmed human A(H5) case in Bangladesh in 2026. In 2025, four cases were reported in Bangladesh.
Summary:
Since 2003, there have been 998 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) infection worldwide*, including 478 deaths (CFR: 48%). These cases have been reported in 25 countries (Australia (exposure occurred in India), Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Viet Nam, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US)). To date, no sustained human-to-human transmission has been detected.
* This includes detections due to suspected environmental contamination, with no evidence of infection, that were reported in 2022 and 2023 by Spain (two detections), the US (one), and the UK (four, one of which was inconclusive). Human cases of A(H5) epidemiologically linked to A(H5N1) outbreaks in poultry and dairy cattle in the US are included in the reported number of cases of A(H5N1).
Acknowledgements: we gratefully acknowledge all data contributors, i.e. the authors and their originating laboratories responsible for obtaining the specimens, and the submitting laboratories for generating the genetic sequences and metadata and sharing via the GISAID Initiative.
ECDC assessment
Sporadic human cases of different avian influenza A(H5) subtypes have previously been reported around the world. Current virological evidence suggests that circulating A(H5N1) viruses retain genetic characteristics consistent with avian-adapted influenza viruses. Despite the widespread transmission of avian influenza viruses in animals, transmission to humans remains infrequent and no sustained transmission between humans has been observed.
Based on the currently available information, the overall risk related to zoonotic influenza for the general population in the EU/EEA is considered low.
Direct contact with birds and other infected animals, their secretions or a contaminated environment is the most likely source of infection. Application of personal protective measures in people exposed to infected animals or their environment can reduce the associated risk. The recent severe cases in Asia and the Americas in children and people exposed to infected, sick or dead backyard poultry underline the risk of unprotected contact with infected birds in backyard farm settings. This supports the importance of using appropriate personal protective equipment.
Actions
ECDC monitors avian influenza strains through its influenza surveillance programme and epidemic intelligence activities in collaboration with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the EU Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in order to identify significant changes in the virological characteristics and epidemiology of the virus. Together with EFSA and the EU Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, ECDC produces a quarterly updated avian influenza overview. The most recent report was published in March 2026.