China Reports World’s First Human Death From H3N8 Bird Flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a Chinese woman has become the first person to pass away from a type of bird flu that is uncommon in humans, although the strain does not seem to transmit between people.

The WHO said in a statement late on Tuesday that the 56-year-old lady from the southern province of Guangdong was the third individual to have been infected with the H3N8 subtype of avian influenza.

The first two cases were recorded last year, and all of the cases have been in China.

Late this month, the Guangdong Provincial Institute for Disease Control and Prevention announced the third infection, although it made no mention of the woman’s death.

According to the WHO, the patient had many underlying illnesses and a history of exposure to live poultry.

In China, where avian flu viruses are constantly circulating in large poultry and wild bird populations, sporadic illnesses in people with bird flu are quite prevalent.

The WHO said that samples taken from a wet market the woman visited before becoming unwell tested positive for influenza A(H3), indicating this may have been the location of infection.

H3N8 is widespread in birds, where it rarely manifests as an illness despite being rare in humans. Infected mammals include other mammals.

The WHO reported that none of the affected woman’s close contacts had any more instances.

The WHO said in the statement that the risk of the virus spreading among humans at the national, regional, and worldwide levels is regarded as low because it does not appear to have the ability to transfer quickly from person to person.

The capacity of all avian influenza viruses to develop and spread a pandemic makes monitoring these viruses crucial.

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