The WHO confirmed the death of a woman from H3N8 bird flu in China

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed three cases of bird flu H3N8 in humans in the last year in Chinaamong which the most recent was reported to this institution on March 27 and corresponded to a woman who died from this infection in the middle of the same month.

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The victim suffered from underlying illnesses and it has been established that he had close contact with farm birds before he presented symptoms of the disease and that there was also a presence of wild birds around his home, which indicates that it is most likely that was infected in a live bird market.

The epidemiological studies that have been carried out so far show that the H3N8 virus does not have the capacity to be transmitted easily from person to person, so the WHO considers that “The risk of spread between humans at the national, regional or international level is low.”

However, the known fact that these types of viruses can change makes it very important that there be a global surveillance to detect any virological, epidemiological or clinical modification, he stressed.

The first two human cases reported by China of this same disease were registered in April and May 2022, and recovered. In both cases it was determined that the contagion occurred through direct or indirect exposure to live edible birds.

After detecting the three cases a search was carried out and health monitoring of all contacts of infected people, but no additional cases were found among them.

The WHO recommended that to minimize the risk of infection, countries should raise public awareness about the importance of avoiding contact in risky environments such as farms or markets where there are live animals, edible birds, or surfaces that may be contaminated with animal feces.

Those people who, due to their work, must be in contact with these species must have rigorous hand hygiene and use respiratory protection to reduce the hazard.

For prevent a virus mutation that can facilitate its transmission from person to person, it is recommended that all workers in the poultry sector be vaccinated against influenza.

The organization stated that does not recommend any travel restrictions or trade based on the information you have so far.

For the moment, one of the priorities is to understand the scope of the circulation of flu virus among animals and that all States and other actors share the information they have quickly.

“The range of zoonotic influenza viruses that have caused human-to-human infections is concerning and requires surveillance in both the human and animal populations, as well as a comprehensive review of each zoonotic infection and pandemic preparedness.”, stressed the WHO.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.