A woman in China has the first user in the world to die from a strain of bird flu rarely discovered in humans, the World Health Organization showed on Wednesday, as considerations mount about the threat bird flu outbreaks pose to humans.
A 56-year-old man from southern China’s Guangdong province has died after contracting H3N8, a form of bird flu, the WHO said.
She fell ill in late February, was hospitalized with severe pneumonia in early March and died on March 16, the WHO said.
The firm said the woman, who had “several underlying conditions,” likely lit up at a rainy market promoting live poultry, where scientists later detected the virus, while stressing that more studies will be needed to make sure of this.
The woman is one of 3 other people known to have caught this specific strain of bird flu after China reported two separate infections last year and she is the first to die from it.
None of the woman’s contacts had the virus or developed symptoms at the time China reported the case last March, the UN firm said, adding that there were no symptoms that the virus can spread smoothly between humans and that the threat of spread is “low. “
The WHO said human infections with animal variants of influenza are rare and limited to close exposure to live or dead animals harboring the virus, with potential symptoms ranging from conjunctivitis and mild flu-like symptoms to neurological problems, severe respiratory illness or even death.
Avian influenza can be fatal to birds, however human infections are sometimes sporadic and limited to instances of close contact with inflamed wild or domestic animals. The virus can temporarily sideline flocks with devastating effect and wreak havoc on the poultry industry. An unprecedented pandemic, caused by another strain, H5N1, has gripped bird populations around the world and has demonstrated a disturbing ability to cause outbreaks in mammals, raising concerns among scientists that it could sow a new deadly pandemic in humans. Influenza, especially that “caught” from animals, has been responsible for some of the deadliest human epidemics in history. H3N8 is another type of bird flu than the one causing chaos and consternation around the world and, according to authorities, it poses less of a risk to humans than H5N1. However, the WHO warns that it still wants to be closely monitored given the virus’s ability to mutate. In addition to birds, the virus has been found in several species of mammals, as well as dogs and horses.
“This human case of H3N8 infection is not a threat to U. S. public health. “”We are in the U. S. at this time,” the CDC said in a statement.
WHO is under pressure the importance of immediate investigation and diligent surveillance of viruses when dealing with an evolving virus like influenza, especially given its well-documented history of human outbreaks. The delay of Chinese officials in reporting the case to the foreign government. – one month between the time officials became aware of the infection and the time they notified WHO – far exceeds the 24-hour limit for reporting human infections with animal influenza viruses set by foreign law. China’s denunciation for allegedly hiding very important knowledge about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, it adds from the WHO, which Beijing strongly denies.
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