China: 1st human case of H3N8 bird flu virus reported in Henan; NHC downplays risks

After the COVID-19 virus, China recorded the first human infection with the H3N8 strain of Bird Flu in the country. According to media reports on Tuesday, the first human infection with the H3N8 strain of bird flu was reported from the Henan province of China.

National Health Commission (NHC) of China announced the case in a statement however, it downplayed its risk. They said that the risk of it spreading among people was low. A four-year-old boy in the Henan province of China was found to have been infected with the virus H3N8 after developing several symptoms including fever, according to the NHC statement.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) further added that the child was in contact with chickens and crows raised at his house in Henan. No close contacts were infected with the virus, it said. Speaking about the H3N8 bird flu case, the health commission said that the H3N8 variant of the bird flu virus has previously been detected elsewhere in the world in animals including horses, dogs, birds and seals. It further added that no human cases were reported about it in the past.

Rare case of bird flu detected in UK

Earlier in January, the United Kingdom's (UK) Health Security Agency announced that an extremely 'rare' case of bird flu was identified in a person in southwest England. The human-to-human transmission was neither suspected nor predicted because the subject had been in close contact with diseased birds. Moreover, the agency claimed that avian flu is difficult to contract.

"The person acquired the infection from very close, regular contact with a large number of infected birds, which they kept in and around their home over a prolonged period of time. All contacts of the individual, including those who visited the premises, have been traced and there is no evidence of onward spread of the infection to anyone else. The individual is currently well and self-isolating," the agency said in a statement.

According to Britain's Health Security Agency and countless other medical experts, the H5N1 avian flu or bird flu virus seldom infects people, and human-to-human transmission is very infrequent. The H5N1 virus, which causes the majority of cases of avian flu, is causing the greatest outbreak in England's history. According to BBC, England has reported 63 confirmed instances since November, with at least a million birds slaughtered, largely at poultry farms.

What is Bird Flu?

Bird flu or Avian Influenza is a condition caused by infection with Avian (bird) Influenza (flu) Type A viruses which are generally observed among wild aquatic birds. It can also infect domestic poultry, other birds, and animals. Though Avian Flu viruses do not usually infect human beings and such an infection is rare, it is important to take precautions to prevent the spread among humans. 

Some of the common symptoms observed in people who catch bird flu include cough, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, and shortness of breath. They may also develop life-threatening complications like pneumonia, pinkeye (conjunctivitis), respiratory failure, kidney dysfunction, and heart problems.