First human case of H10N3 bird flu reported in China

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Reports said that the first case of human infection from the H10N3 strain of bird flu was confirmed in China.
• The infected is a 41-year-old man who developed fever and other symptoms in April, and the virus was diagnosed a month after.
• Officials said that H10N3 is a less severe virus strain in poultry and avian influenza viruses rarely infect people.

China has recorded the first case of human infection from the H10N3 strain of bird flu, per reports.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that China’s National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed that a 41-year-old man, within the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu, was diagnosed with the avian influenza virus.

The man was first hospitalized on April 28 after having a fever and other symptoms. It was confirmed a month after that the man was infected with H10N3 virus, with unclear reason how he acquired it.

The man from Zhenjiang was in stable condition now, and there were no additional cases reported, including his close contacts who had undergone some observation.

NHC said that this was the only human infection reported around the globe. It added that H10N3 is a less severe virus strain in poultry and its potential to spread in a wide-reaching area was low.

The most popular avian flu strain was H5N1, with a 60% mortality rate. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US has not reported any human infections from this strain yet.

The CDC further said that people are rarely infected by avian influenza viruses. According to health officials, working with infectious or dead animals is likely the cause why poultry workers get sick.

Per Reuters, China has reported many different strains of avian influenza, but there have been no significant numbers of human infections since the H7N9 strain that killed about 300 people in 2016-2017.

Source: Fox News