China Reports 1st Bird Flu Related Human Death
A woman who had the H3N8 bird flu died in March, according to information provided by China to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The case is the first in which the strain has killed a human victim and only the third known human instance in history. According to the WHO, the two prior instances were reported in China in April and May of last year.
In the most recent case, a 56-year-old Guangdong lady from the province’s southeast passed away on March 16 after becoming unwell in February and being hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
The patient’s underlying health issues were numerous. Prior to the commencement of the illness, she had previously been exposed to live chickens, and there had previously been wild birds near her home, according to the UN health organization, which cited data from China’s National Health Commission.
None of her close friends or family members have gotten sick or contracted an infection.
The WHO suggested that she may have contracted the illness from a poultry market close to her home.
Market samples were found to be positive for the influenza A(H3) subtype.
In the two prior occurrences, one patient experienced a serious sickness, while the older patient just experienced minor symptoms. The likely cause, according to the WHO, was either direct or indirect contact with contaminated chickens.
Humans risk level is still low, according to the WHO.
The avian influenza A(H3N8) pathogens do not possess the capacity for maintained transmission among people, according to the known epidemiological and virological data, it said. Therefore, the likelihood of human-to-human dissemination is considered to be low at this time.
