A 4-year-old child contracted the H3N8 avian flu which had never before been detected in humans.
- China has detected the first human case of H3N8 avian flu
- Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease with the first human cases reported in the 1990s
It is one of the zoonoses, that is to say diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. The H3N8 avian flu, known to infect birds, horses, dogs and even seals, was transmitted to a young Chinese living in Henan province, in the center of the country.
The child comes from a family of chicken farmers who live in an area populated by wild ducks and therefore would have contracted the virus by being directly infected by one of the birds. After having had a fever and then other symptoms, in particular respiratory, the young boy was hospitalized and then tested positive for the virus at the beginning of April.
Human-to-human transmission is low
The Chinese Minister of Health indicated on Tuesday April 26 that it was a “punctual inter-species transmission” and that “the risk of large-scale transmission is low”. On the other hand, they would like to remind you that you should not approach dead or sick birds and consult quickly in the event of fever or symptoms. As with other strains of bird flu, symptoms may be fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches or those of severe respiratory illness.
Increased monitoring
However, the virus warrants increased surveillance, told Reuters Erik Karlsson, deputy head of the virology unit at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia.
Its involvement in the flu pandemic of 1889 and 1890, known as the Russian flu, is “a major concern about the risk posed by this virus”, he added. This epidemic claimed around one million lives and is considered the first pandemic of the industrial era for which statistics have been collected.
Mutation of avian viruses
Widespread transmission of influenza among birds increases opportunities for avian viruses to mix and mutate, experts say, especially as China’s huge populations of domesticated and wild birds of many species provide an ideal environment . Some sporadically infect people, usually those who work with poultry.
One of the main security measures to stem the disease, which is very contagious, consists in maintaining respect for barrier gestures (regular hand washing, wearing a mask), recalls thePastor Institute.