WHO announces first death from H3N8 bird flu in China | health

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday (11) that a woman died in China from H3N8 bird flu, a virus that has been circulating since 2002, but so far has not caused human casualties.

The H3N8 virus, which first appeared in North America, was until now thought likely to be transmitted to horses, dogs and sea lions.

The virus has been detected in humans in China on two occasions, in April and May 2022, but without causing deaths.

The deceased person, aged 56, lived in China’s Guangdong Province (southeast) and fell ill on February 22. On March 3, she was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and died on March 16, according to the World Health Organization.

“The patient had several underlying conditions,” the organization said in a statement, “a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease, and a history of wild birds around her home.”

The UN agency added that “none of the close contacts had” an infection or symptoms of the disease, as of the writing of this report.”

The World Health Organization stated that the contamination may have occurred because she frequented a poultry market, but that “the exact source of infection has not yet been determined, as well as the relationship between this virus and other avian influenza type A (H3N8)” circulating in the animal’s environment.

According to the organization, the available data show that the virus is not transmitted between humans, and therefore “the risk of its spread at the national, regional and global levels is considered low.”

However, the World Health Organization has insisted on the need to monitor the virus due to its ongoing mutations.