Novel influenza a virus reagents are used in nucleic acid amplification tests to directly detect and differentiate novel influenza a virus specific rna gene segments in human respiratory specimens or viral cultures. Detection and differentiation of specific rna gene segments aids in the diagnosis of influenza caused by novel influenza a viruses in patients with clinical and epidemiological risk of infection with these viruses. They also aid in the presumptive identification of specific novel influenza a viruses and provide epidemiological information on influenza. These reagents are primers and probes, along with a specific novel influenza virus control.