You must have heard a lot about bird flu. Till now humans used to be careless about this, but the form that has come out in China is quite worrying. China has confirmed the first case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu in humans. However, local health officials say the risk of the flu spreading to people is low. H3N8 is still known to have spread since 2002, after first being found in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals. It has never been detected in humans before.
China’s National Health Commission said on Tuesday that it was confirmed in a four-year-old boy living in central Henan province. He was admitted to the hospital earlier this month with fever and other symptoms. Later, during testing, he turned out to be infected with this rare disease. The NHC said in a statement that the boy’s family raises chickens at home. Also, he lived in an area populated by wild ducks.
The commission said the boy was directly infected with birds. He also said that this strain has not been found to infect humans effectively. The family and friends of the boy were also examined. The report was not unusual.
The NHC said the boy’s case was one-way cross-species transmission. This reduces the risk of large scale spread. However, people have been advised to stay away from dead or sick birds. Also, an advisory has been issued to seek immediate treatment on fever or respiratory symptoms.
Avian influenza mainly occurs in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, the H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, are responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza.
According to the World Health Organization, zoonotic or animal-borne, human infections of influenza are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in the transmission of these viruses between people. In 2012 H3N8 was blamed for more than 160 deaths off the northeastern coast of the United States, as it caused fatal pneumonia in animals.