- The strain has been present in dogs, horses, and even seals, but has never before infected a human.
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| Turkeys inside a hatchery in the processing unit of a plant. |
In the midst of a resurgence of covid, the National Health Commission of China has reported the first human infection of the H3N8 strain of avian flu. The infected is a four-year-old boy who tested positive for the strain after being hospitalized in early April.
The boy, whose family raises chickens and maintains contact with wild ducks, had a fever and other symptoms. The strain has been present in different species of living beings, but until now it had never infected a human being.
H3N8 in animals
The presence of H3N8 in animals is relatively common, not just in birds. The strain has been identified in horses and dogs and even seals. According to US health authorities, in 2012 H3N8 caused the death of more than 160 seals off US coasts from pneumonia.
The journal mBio, published by the American Society for Microbiology, published a study in 2012 about the disease, which affected New England seals. According to the paper's authors, the virus identified in mammals was transmissible to humans. The strain was transmitted to 162 seals by North American birds, which it has affected since 2002. It was the first time that cases of bird flu had been identified in mammals of this species.
Avian influenza, specifically the H7N7 and H3N8 strains, affects horses of all breeds and ages although, according to a platform specialized in equine diseases of the Complutense University, it is more common in young unvaccinated horses.
Could the strain spread between humans?
The contagion, says the Chinese health agency, is a case of "specific transmission between species". Therefore, the risk of the strain spreading on a large scale is low, despite which the NHC has urged not to approach dead or sick birds and to consult doctors in case of any associated symptoms.
In general, the human transmission of the bird flu virus is very rare. In 1997 and 2013, the most important cases of the H5N1 and H7N9 strains were detected.
How is it spread?
Bird flu strains are spread through the saliva, feces, and mucus of birds. Upon contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth of humans or the remains of affected species, the virus enters the body causing infection. The contagion occurs when the droplets are in the air and are inhaled, or when a contaminated surface is touched and the mouth, nose, or eyes are touched with the hand.
What are the symptoms?
The impact of the disease in humans is, based on what is known about the only recorded case in history, the rise in body temperature, mucous secretion, and the symptoms of common flu. In dogs, the disease causes cough, runny nose, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, and eye discharge, although not all those affected show symptoms. In horses, the virus causes fever and excretion of large amounts of the virus through nasal secretions.