China Reports 1 Case of H5N1 Bird Flu, WHO Asks All Countries to Be Alert

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Clade 2.3.4.4b or H5N1 bird flu cases in humans have increased. This time, a case was detected in eastern China in a 53-year-old woman.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the latest case came from a woman in Jiangsu province, East China. According to reports, the patient experienced symptoms since January 31, 2023 after being exposed to poultry.

Shortly in February, to be precise, the patient tested positive and his condition is currently unknown, citing the website BNO NewsFriday (3/3/2023).

The H5N1 bird flu variant that appeared at the end of 2021 has caused cases to emerge in several countries, which have never even reported cases of bird flu before. Since then, more than 200 million birds have been culled across much of Europe and the United States.

The global spread of the bird flu virus itself is considered to have raised concerns about the possibility of new variants in the future that could cause human-to-human transmission.

“The global situation for H5N1 is concerning given the widespread spread of the virus in birds around the world and the increasing number of reported cases in mammals, including humans,” said WHO official, Dr Sylvie Briand.

“WHO takes the risks from this virus seriously and urges greater vigilance from all countries,” he added.

Prior to China’s report, Cambodia had reported the death of an 11-year-old girl from H5N1 bird flu. The case began when the chickens and ducks in his house suddenly died.