Russia reports world's first case of human infection with H5N8 bird flu

[rooster59]

Russia reports world's first case of human infection with H5N8 bird flu

By Polina Devitt and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

 

FILE PHOTO: Chickens await vaccination against bird flu at the settlement Peredovoi 100 km (62 miles) from the Russia's southern city of Stavropol, March 11, 2006. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko/File Photo

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has registered the first case of a strain of bird flu virus named A(H5N8) being passed to humans from birds and has reported the matter to the World Health Organization (WHO), Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday.

 

Outbreaks of the H5N8 strain have been reported in Russia, Europe, China, the Middle East and North Africa in recent months but so far only in poultry. Other strains - H5N1, H7N9 and H9N2 - have been known https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(avian-and-other-zoonotic) to spread to humans.

 

Russia reported the case of human infection to the WHO "several days ago, just as we became absolutely certain of our results," Popova said on Rossiya 24 state TV. There was no sign yet of transmission between humans, she added.

 

Seven workers at a poultry plant in Russia's south had been infected with the H5N8 strain in an outbreak at the plant in December, Popova said, adding that the individuals involved felt fine now. "This situation did not develop further," she said.

 

In an email WHO's European arm said it had been notified by Russia about a case of human infection with H5N8 and acknowledged this would if confirmed be the first time the strain had infected people.

 

"Preliminary information indicates that the reported cases were workers exposed to bird flocks," the email said. "They were asymptomatic and no onward human to human transmission was reported.

 

"We are in discussion with national authorities to gather more information and assess the public health impact of this event," the email added.

 

The majority of human bird flu infections have been associated with direct contact with infected live or dead poultry, though properly cooked food is considered to be safe.

 

Bird flu outbreaks often prompt poultry plants to kill their birds to prevent the virus from spreading, and avoid importing countries having to impose trade restrictions.

 

The vast majority of cases are spread by migrating wild birds, so producing countries tend to keep their poultry indoors or protected from contact with wildlife.

 

Siberia's Vector Institute said on Saturday it would start developing human tests and a vaccine against H5N8, RIA news agency reported.

 

(Reporting by Polina Devitt and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Holmes)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-21

 

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[simon43]

Oh ..... cluck!!

[Kwasaki]

Nostrovia. ????

[from the home of CC]

just a matter of time..

[ukrules]

Here's a microbiology Professor talking about this subject :

 

 

Florian Krammer knows his stuff......when he speaks, take note.

 

[RocketDog]

Here we go again. Second act same as the first? 

Admittedly viruses make nice pets but there's a limit to everything. 

[connda]

Here it comes.  No.  It's not Covid 21.  It will be Bird Flu 2021.  <vaccine manufacturers and Bill Gates rub their hand together and clap>

[rasmus5150]

At least the Russians have the decency to report this incident as soon as possible - that's not something the Chinese can be proud of.........

[candide]

1 hour ago, rasmus5150 said:

At least the Russians have the decency to report this incident as soon as possible - that's not something the Chinese can be proud of.........

You sure?

"Seven workers at a poultry plant in Russia's south had been infected with the H5N8 strain in an outbreak at the plant in December, Popova said, adding that the individuals involved felt fine now. "This situation did not develop further," she said."

[ukrules]

9 hours ago, candide said:

You sure?

"Seven workers at a poultry plant in Russia's south had been infected with the H5N8 strain in an outbreak at the plant in December, Popova said, adding that the individuals involved felt fine now. "This situation did not develop further," she said."

Yeah, they caught it from the birds, mild cold - nobody cares but it's a notable incident all the same.

Edited February 21, 2021 by ukrules

[donnacha]

The problem with such a hard-drinking culture, combined with mind-numbing agricultural jobs, is that fraternization makes species-to-species transmission far more likely.