Not now, bird flu! China confirms first human case of H3N8 strain
Emily Craig Health Reporter For Mailonline – 1h ago
China has logged the world’s first ever human case of the H3N8 bird flu strain.
A four-year-old boy from Zhumadian, in the Henan province, tested positive for the avian influenza strain, local health chiefs confirmed.
The child — who had a fever — had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home.
The virus is usually spread through touching infected birds and their droppings, or when preparing infected poultry for cooking.
None of the boy’s close contacts were infected with the strain.
China’s National Health Commission has yet to provide any update on the boy. Bird flu is thought to kill up to half of those it infects, the NHC added.
Early investigations show the strain doesn’t have the ability to be passed from human to human, prompting Chinese doctors to claim the risk of a large-scale outbreak was low.
The H3N8 variant — one of several types of bird flu — is common in horses and dogs and has even been found in seals. Yet no human cases had been reported until now.
The NHC advised people to avoid direct contact with live poultry and seek medical attention if they develop any tell-tale flu symptoms.
A four-year-old boy from Zhumadian, in the Henan province, was confirmed to be carrying the variant after suffering from a fever on April 5, the National Health Commission (NHC) announced on Tuesday. The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home. The virus is usually spread through touching infected birds and their droppings or when preparing infected poultry for cooking
A four-year-old boy from Zhumadian, in the Henan province, was confirmed to be carrying the variant after suffering from a fever on April 5, the National Health Commission (NHC) announced on Tuesday.
The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home. The virus is usually spread through touching infected birds and their droppings or when preparing infected poultry for cooking
Bird flu can cause a fever, aching muscles, a headache and a cough — similar to the traditional form of the virus.
Sufferers may also experience diarrhoea, sickness, stomach pain, chest pain and bleeding from the nose and gums, as well as conjunctivitis.
Infected people are either treated at home or in hospital, and isolated. Antivirals can reduce the severity of illness.
Nicola Lewis, an influenza expert at the UK’s Royal Veterinary College, said genome analysis of the case — identified just a three-hour drive north of Wuhan — showed it is a reassortant.
This means it contains a mixture of genes from viruses which have been detected previously in poultry and wild birds.
Many strains of bird flu are present in China. It has a huge population of farmed and wild birds, which encourages avian viruses to mix and mutate.
Most of them don’t infect humans. Only four strains have caused concern in recent years after infecting humans — H5N1, H7N9, H5N6 and H5N8.
Fatality rates for bird flu in humans have been estimated to be as high as 50 per cent.
But transmission to humans is so rare. Fewer than 500 bird flu deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization since 1997.
Britain experienced its largest ever bird flu outbreak last month, after H5N1 cases began climbing in November after first being spotted in North Yorkshire.
Alan Gosling, a 79-year-old grandfather living in Devon, became the first ever human case of H5N1 in the UK after catching it from ducks at his home.
He self-isolated at his home for three weeks at the beginning of the year until he finally tested negative.
Avian flu measures introduced in a bid to control the outbreak meant Britons could no longer buy free-range eggs due to the length of time hens were kept inside.
By the end of March, 863 human cases of H5N1 had been confirmed across 18 countries and 455 were fatal.
The World Health Organization had also logged 75 confirmed cases and 32 deaths due to H5N6.
A virus that kills up to 50% of humans… but transmission is rare: Everything you need to know about bird flu
What is bird flu?
Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among bird species but can, on rare occasions, jump to human beings.
Like human influenza there are many strains of bird flu:
The current outbreak in birds in the UK is H5N1, the strain that the infected Briton has.
Where has it been spotted in the UK?
There are currently 96 cases of avian influenza H5N1 in England. There are also two cases in Wales and two cases in Scotland.
How deadly is the virus?
Fatality rates for bird flu in humans have been estimated to be as high as 50 per cent.
But because transmission to humans is so rare, around 500 bird flu deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization since 1997.
Is it transmissible from birds to humans?
Cases of bird-to-human transmission are rare and usually do not spread on human-to-human.
Bird flu is spread by close contact with an infected bird or the body of one.
This can include:
Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said: ‘Transfer of avian flu to people is rare as it requires direct contact between an infected, usually dead, bird and the individual concerned.
‘It is a risk for the handlers who are charged with the disposal of carcasses after an outbreak but the virus does not spread generally and poses little threat.
‘It does not behave like the seasonal flu we are used to.
‘Despite the current heightened concern around viruses there is no risk to chicken meat or eggs and no need for public alarm.’
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of bird flue usually take three to five days to appear with the most common being: