China reports 1st human case of H3N8 bird flu, 4-yo found infected


PTI, Apr 27, 2022, 9:48 AM IST

Credit: Getty Images

Beijing: China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people.

H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.

China’s National Health Commission on Tuesday said a four-year-old boy living in central Henan province tested positive for the strain after being hospitalised earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms.

The boy’s family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks, the NHC said in a statement.

The boy was infected directly by birds and the strain was not found to have “the ability to effectively infect humans”, the commission said.

It added that tests of the boy’s close human contacts found “no abnormalities”.

The NHC said the boy’s case was a “one-off cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission is low”.

It warned the public to nevertheless stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.

Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.

The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

Human infections of zoonotic, or animal-borne, influenzas are “primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in efficient transmission of these viruses between people”, according to the World Health Organisation.

In 2012, H3N8 was blamed for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the northeastern coast of the United States after it caused deadly pneumonia in the animals.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Cong’s Yogeeshwara wins Channapatna Assembly bypoll by defeating Kumaraswamy’s son

Gadkari hails Mahayuti, says it prioritised development under PM’s leadership

None of Adani portfolio cos subject to any legal case: Group CFO on promoter indictment in US

20 injured in multiple collisions in Karnataka

Poll trends in favour of Mahayuti because of Ladki Bahin scheme, says Shinde

TTD repairs finger of Lord Rama idol believed to be 1,000 years old

Sealing of illegal hotel borewells in Delhi to continue, authorities tell NGT

Related Articles More

Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India

COP29: Civil society protests climate finance proposal, calls for ‘no deal’ over ‘bad deal’

Bomb disposal squad tackles ‘security incident’ at UK’s Gatwick Airport

Baku climate talks: The ‘X’ factor that could determine future of Global South

India-US ties have strong foundation: White House confident in navigating crisis over Adani bribery charges

MUST WATCH

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar

Rose Cultivation

Geethotsava


Latest Additions

Cong’s Pathan wins Shiggaon Assembly bypoll in Karnataka, defeats ex-CM Bommai’s son

Honeytrap Case: Three held for extorting Rs 3 crore from professor

Cong’s Yogeeshwara wins Channapatna Assembly bypoll by defeating Kumaraswamy’s son

Bengaluru: Woman murders her children, attempts suicide

Gadkari hails Mahayuti, says it prioritised development under PM’s leadership

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.