China has detected 1st human case of H3N8 bird flu, 4-year-old infected
India Today
China's National Health Commission on Tuesday confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of bird flu in a 4-year-old boy.
China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people.
H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.
China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said a four-year-old boy living in central Henan province tested positive for the strain after being hospitalised earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms.
The boy's family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks, the NHC said in a statement.
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The boy was infected directly by birds and the strain was not found to have "the ability to effectively infect humans", the commission said.
It added that tests of the boy's close human contacts found "no abnormalities".
