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| Avian influenza H3N8 has been circulating in North America since 2002. (Source: Reuters) |
According to WHO, the woman, over 56 years old, in Guangdong province, Southeast China, fell ill on February 22, was hospitalized on March 3 due to severe pneumonia and died on March 16.
The patient had multiple underlying diseases, a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease, and wild birds were present in the area where the patient lived.
There have been no cases of close contact with the infected case or any symptoms at the time of reporting.
While exposure to live poultry markets may have caused infection, the exact source of infection and how the virus is related to other avian influenza A (H3N8) viruses circulating in animals remains unclear, the WHO said, calling for further investigation in humans and animals.
H3N8 has been circulating since 2002 after first appearing in waterfowl in North America, infecting horses, dogs and seals.
According to WHO, there were two previous cases of this type of flu in April and May 2022, both in China, but none of them resulted in death. The two cases may have been infected through direct or indirect contact with infected poultry.
“This virus does not appear to be able to spread easily from person to person, therefore the risk of human-to-human transmission at the national, regional and international levels is considered low,” WHO said.
However, due to the constantly changing nature of influenza viruses, WHO has emphasized the importance of global surveillance to detect virological, epidemiological and clinical changes associated with circulating influenza viruses that may affect human (or animal) health.
Human cases of avian influenza are usually caused by direct or indirect contact with infected poultry, or by environmental contamination.
According to the WHO, zoonotic influenza can cause illnesses ranging from conjunctivitis or mild flu-like symptoms to severe acute respiratory illness and even death. Gastrointestinal or neurological symptoms have been reported but are rare.
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