The H3N8 virus, which first appeared on the North American continent, was until now considered capable of being transmitted to horses, dogs and sea lions. It had not been detected in humans until the first two non-fatal cases in China in April and May 2022.
The deceased is a resident of Guangdong province in southeast China. According to the WHO, she fell ill on February 22. “The patient had multiple predispositions. She had a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease and a history of the presence of wild birds around his home”the organization said in a statement.
“None of the close contacts of this case had developed an infection or symptoms of illness at the time of writing this report”, underlined the WHO. Visiting a live bird market could have caused this contamination, but “the exact source of this infection remains to be determined, as well as the link between this virus and the other avian influenza type A (H3N8) circulating in the animal environment”explained the world organization, calling for research on the question.
