On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a woman who recently tested positive for H3N8 bird flu in southern China has died.
The hospital admitted the woman due to severe pneumonia, as she had multiple pre-existing health conditions, including multiple myeloma.
On March 26, the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a 56-year-old woman from Zhongshan City had contracted H3N8 bird flu.They did not provide further details of her condition.
The severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) surveillance system detected the case.
According to WHO, no close contacts of the case developed an infection or symptoms of illness at the time of reporting. Avian influenza refers to “influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds.”
Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans. Some virus, such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.
It is important to note that, The new case in China is only the third confirmed case in humans . Additionally, it is the first in an adult.
H3N8 viruses were first detected in wild birds in the 1960s. These viruses have infected other animals.
Poultry in China have sporadically tested positive for avian influenza H3N8 viruses. Some of which have been found to be genetically closely related to the human cases reported in 2022.