Not now, bird flu! China confirms first human case of H3N8 strain

Not now, bird flu! China confirms first human case of H3N8 strain

  • A four-year-old boy from Henan province is the first confirmed case of H3N8
  • The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home
  • But no close contacts have been infected and officials say the risk to the public is low

China has recorded the world’s first human case of the H3N8 strain of bird flu.

A four-year-old boy from Zhumadian, Henan Province, has tested positive for the bird flu strain, local health chiefs have confirmed.

The child – who had a fever – had been in contact with chickens and crows raised in his home.

The virus is usually spread by 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 an update on the boy. Bird flu is thought to kill up to half of the people it infects, the NHC added.

Early investigations show the strain lacks the ability to pass from human to human, prompting Chinese doctors to say the risk of a large-scale outbreak is low.

The H3N8 variant – one of many types of bird flu – is common in horses and dogs and has even been found in seals. However, no human cases had been reported so far.

The NHC has advised people to avoid direct contact with live poultry and to seek medical attention if they develop telltale flu symptoms.

A four-year-old boy from Zhumadian, Henan Province, was confirmed to have the variant after suffering from a fever on April 5, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday. The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home. The virus is usually transmitted by touching infected birds and their droppings or when preparing infected poultry for cooking.

Bird flu can cause fever, muscle aches, headaches and coughing, which is similar to the traditional form of the virus.

Sufferers may also experience diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums, as well as conjunctivitis.

Infected people are either cared for at home or in hospital, and isolated. Antivirals can reduce the severity of the disease.

Nicola Lewis, an influenza expert at the UK’s Royal Veterinary College, said genome analysis of the case – identified just three hours’ drive north of Wuhan – showed it was a restocked.

This means that it contains a mixture of genes from viruses that have already been detected 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 do not infect humans. Only four strains have caused concern in recent years after infecting humans – H5N1, H7N9, H5N6 and H5N8.

Bird flu mortality rates in humans have been estimated at 50%.

But transmission to humans is so rare. Fewer than 500 bird flu deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization since 1997.

Britain saw its biggest bird flu outbreak last month, after H5N1 cases started to climb in November after it was first spotted in North Yorkshire.

Alan Gosling, a 79-year-old grandfather living in Devon, became the UK’s first human case of H5N1 after catching it at home from ducks.

He isolated himself at home for three weeks at the start of the year until he finally tested negative.

Bird 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 indoors.

By the end of March, 863 human cases of H5N1 had been confirmed in 18 countries and 455 were fatal.

The World Health Organization had also recorded 75 confirmed cases and 32 deaths from 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 bird flu, is an infectious type of flu that spreads among species of birds but can, on rare occasions, spread to humans.

Like the human flu, there are many strains of bird flu:

The current bird outbreak in the UK is H5N1, the strain the infected Briton carries.

Where was he spotted in the UK?

There are currently 96 cases of H5N1 bird flu in England. There are also two cases in Wales and two cases in Scotland.

How deadly is the virus?

Bird flu mortality rates in humans have been estimated at 50%.

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 from human to human.

Bird flu is transmitted through close contact with an infected bird or a bird’s body.

This may include:

  • touching infected birds
  • touching feces or bedding
  • kill or prepare poultry for cooking

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said: ‘The transfer of bird flu to humans is rare as it requires direct contact between an infected bird, usually dead, and the individual concerned.

“It is a risk for handlers who are tasked with disposing of carcasses after an outbreak, but the virus does not spread generally and poses little threat.

“It does not behave like the seasonal flu that we are used to.

“Despite the current heightened concern about viruses, there is no risk to chicken meat or eggs and no need for public alarm.”

What are the symptoms?

Bird flu symptoms usually take three to five days to appear, the most common being:

  • a very high temperature
  • or feel hot or shiver
  • sore muscles
  • headache
  • a cough or shortness of breath

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