Avian Influenza A: WHO Says China Reports 3rd Case of Human Infection With H3N8 Virus | Details Here

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday said China has notified it about the third case of human infection with avian influenza A (H3N8) virus in its country. The UN body said it is still unclear about exact source of infection and how this virus is related to other avian influenza A (H3N8) viruses circulating in animals.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the WHO said, “On March 27, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China notified WHO of one confirmed case of human infection with an avian influenza A (H3N8) virus. This is the third reported case of human infection with an avian influenza A (H3N8) virus; all three cases have been reported from China.”

It further said that epidemiological investigation and close contact tracing have been carried out. “There have been no other cases found among close contacts of the infected individual,” it added.

First H3N8 bird flu death in China

Quoting the WHO, news agency AFP reported on Tuesday that a 56-year-old woman from Guangdong province has died from H3N8 bird flu in China, the first known human fatality from the avian influenza strain.

The woman fell ill on February 22, was hospitalised for severe pneumonia on March 3 and died on March 16, the WHO said. “The patient had multiple underlying conditions. She had a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease, and a history of wild bird presence around her home,” the UN health agency said in a statement, adding, “No close contacts of the case developed an infection or symptoms of illness at the time of reporting.”

Of the two cases last year, one developed a critical illness, while the other had a mild illness. Both cases likely acquired infection from direct or indirect exposure to infected poultry, the WHO said.

“It appears that this virus does not have the ability to spread easily from person to person, and therefore the risk of it spreading among humans at the national, regional, and international levels is considered to be low,” the UN body said.

Human bird flu cases are usually the result of direct or indirect exposure to infected live or dead poultry or contaminated environments.

The WHO said animal influenza infections could result in disease ranging from conjunctivitis or mild flu-like symptoms to severe acute respiratory disease or even death. Gastrointestinal or neurological symptoms have been reported but these are rare, it added.

(with inputs from AFP)

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