China says it has discovered the first human infection with the H3N8 bird flu virus. A four-year-old boy from Henan province tested positive for the pathogen after being hospitalized with a fever and other symptoms in early April. The boy’s family raises chickens at home and lives in an area populated by wild ducks. The child got infected directly from the birds, the health commission reported. The case is a “one-time transfer”. However, the authority called on the public on Tuesday to stay away from dead or sick birds.
Avian influenza mainly affects wild birds and poultry. Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare. The H3N8 virus has been circulating since 2002 and first appeared in North American waterfowl. In 2012, it was blamed for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the US northeast coast. So far, infections in horses, dogs and seals have been known. Transmission to humans has never been proven.
Source: Nachrichten
