The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring all bird flu viruses because of their ability to evolve and begin another pandemic.
A 56-year-old Chinese woman from the southern province of Guangdong became the first human to die from a bird flu. According to the WHO, she was the third person that is known to have been infected with H3N8. The first two cases were reported in 2022 and both were children living in China.
The WHO statement issued today stated:
“The patient was a 56-year-old female from Guangdong province with an onset of illness on 22 February 2023. She was hospitalized for severe pneumonia on 3 March 2023 and subsequently died on 16 March 2023.
“The patient had multiple underlying conditions. She had a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease, and a history of wild bird presence around her home. No close contacts of the case developed an infection or symptoms of illness at the time of reporting.
“Environmental samples were collected from the patient’s residence and the wet market where the patient spent time before the onset of illness. The results of testing showed that the samples collected from the wet market were positive for influenza A(H3).”
The WHO reported that this strain of bird flu is rare in humans and does not spread among people. It is contracted from being exposed to contaminated live or dead poultry and their environments. While the H3N8 virus is common in birds, it does not have much of an effect on them.
The virus has also infected other animals including dogs, horses, and seals.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that: “The first infection was in a child who had exposure to backyard chickens and wild ducks in April 2022. The patient became critically ill and was hospitalized for their illness.”
The following month, in May, a second infection was found in a child who went to a market where live poultry was present. The child only had mild symptoms. “All close contacts of the first two reported cases tested negative for influenza A viruses, and both children recovered,” reported the CDC.
The WHO said that the Chinese government has “enhanced monitoring and disinfection in the surrounding environment of the patient’s residence” of the woman who died and increased “public risk communication activities to improve public awareness and adoption of self-protection measures.”
