TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – China has confirmed cases bird flu The first H3N8 in humans. But according to health authorities, transmission between humans is low.
The H3N8 avian influenza variant is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first appearing in North American waterfowl. The virus is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.
China’s National Health Commission or NHC on Tuesday said the patient was a four-year-old boy. He lives in central Henan province.
The boy tested positive for H3N8 after being admitted to hospital earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms. The boy’s family raises chickens at home and lives in an area inhabited by wild ducks.
The boy was directly infected by the bird. The strain did not have the ability to effectively infect humans, according to the commission.
It added that tests of close human contact with the boy found “no abnormalities”.
The NHC said the boy’s case was a one-time cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission was low. The NHC warns the public to stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.
Bird flu occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of human-to-human transmission are very rare.
The avian influenza strains H5N1 and H7N9 were detected in 1997 and 2013. These viruses cause the majority of cases of human disease from bird flu, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
Before in China, in 2012 H3N8 is said to have caused the deaths of more than 160 seals off the northeast coast of the United States. This virus causes deadly pneumonia in animals.
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NDTV
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