China downplays case of confirmed H10N3 bird flu in one person
The National Health Commission explains that this strain of the virus is low pathogenic and unlikely to cause a large-scale outbreak.
The National Health Commission of China (NHC) has downplayed the confirmed case of H10N3 bird flu in one person, which has been detected in a 41-year-old man from Jiangsu province, eastern China. According to the NHC, the H10N3 strain of the virus is low pathogenic, meaning it causes relatively less severe disease in poultry and is unlikely to cause a large-scale outbreak. However, he recommended that the population maintain a safe distance from live birds and avoid contact with dead ones, as well as take extreme food hygiene precautions and go to the doctor in case of respiratory problems or fever.
According to Reuters, the WHO noted that the source of the patient's exposure to the H10N3 virus was unknown at the moment, and there were no indications of person-to-person transmission. However, he also recalled that cases like this are a reminder that the threat of an avian flu pandemic is persistent, since as long as viruses circulate in poultry, sporadic infection in humans is not unusual.
The case confirmed by the NHC has been the first of infection of bird flu in a person with the rare strain H10N3, of which no other cases of contagion to humans have been reported worldwide. The affected man was hospitalized on April 28 and diagnosed with H10N3 on May 28, with no details of how he became infected. According to the latest data provided by the NHC, his condition was stable and he was ready to be discharged. The investigation launched into his close contacts found no other cases.
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