China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people, AFP reported.
According to a Reuters report, the variant was found in a four-year-old boy from the central province of Henan province who showed fever and other symptoms, the National Health Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home, it said.
The health agency has warned the citizens to maintain distance from dead or sick birds and further advised an immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms if found infected.
The health commission in its initial study had informed that the variant never had the ability to effectively infect humans.
What is H3N8 bird flu?
H3N8 is a subtype of the species Influenza A virus that is endemic in birds, horses and dogs. It is the main cause of equine influenza and is also known as the equine influenza virus.
H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but, for the first time, it has now been detected in a human.
Reportedly, H3N8 was responsible for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the northeastern coast of the United States in 2012 after it caused deadly pneumonia in the animals.
Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.
The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
According to WHO, avian influenza is primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments but does not result in the efficient transmission of these viruses between people.
According to the US-based Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (CDC), canine influenza A(H3N2) viruses are different from seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses that spread annually in people.
(with agency inputs)
