The H5N8 bird flu has just been detected in seven infected people in a poultry factory in southern Russia. This is the first time that animal-to-human transmission has been observed.
First case of contamination to humans
As the bird flu virus circulates in several European countries where millions of animals have been slaughtered to stop its progression, Russia has just announced the first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain to humans. Indeed, this Saturday, February 20, 2021, Anna Popova, at the head of the Russian health agency Rospotrebnadzor announced during a televised address that ” the laboratory confirmed the first case of a person’s infection with the group A virus, avian influenza AH5N8 “.
In total, seven people were infected in a poultry factory in the south of the country, in which an epidemic of bird flu had affected the animals last December. According to Anna Popova, the patients did not have any complications and “ feel good “.
No human-to-human transmission
Warned by Russian authorities, the WHO said that if the infection is confirmed, “ this would be the first time that H5N8 infects humans “. If the H5N8 strain has ” crossed the interspecies barrier “Transmitting from birds to humans, Anna Popova affirmed that” this variant of the virus is not spread from person to person at the present time “.
However, the World Health Organization believes that the virus ” must be watched ”In view of its potential for change. As Gwenaël Vourc’h, research director at INRAE, explains, these types of avian influenza viruses “ are known to evolve quite quickly […] For H5N8, there was no transmission to humans to date, but it is in the order of the possible viral evolution “. According to the specialist, the seven human cases discovered in Russia could be ” tip of the iceberg “Since there could be” other cases that we have not seen, especially if he has few symptoms “.
