Human Case Of H10N3 Bird Flu
Source : Indian Express
GS III : Science and Technology

Why in News ?

China’s National Health Commission had confirmed one case of human infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu in Jiangsu province.

Key Facts

• It was transmitted from poultry, and the risk of spreading on a large scale was very low.
• There has not been any case of human infection of H10N3 reported in the world before.
• Many different strains of avian influenza are present in China and some sporadically infect people, usually those working with poultry.
• No significant numbers of human infections with bird flu since the H7N9 strain killed around 300 people during 2016-2017.

H10N3 Bird Flu

• It is a rare strain of bird flu known as H10N3.
• There was no indication of human-to-human transmission yet.
• Avian influenza viruses that have little impact on birds can be much more serious in people.
  • Like H7N9 strain that killed almost 300 people in China.
  • There had been only rare instances of person-to-person spread of the H7N9 virus.
• The risk of further infection with H10N3 is currently believed to be very low.
  • Such cases occur occasionally in China which has huge populations of both farmed and wild birds of many specie.

What are the risk of Avian Influenza ?

• Russia reported the first human infection with the H5N8 virus that caused huge damage on poultry farms across Europe, Russia and East Asia last winter.
• The genetic sequence of the virus that infected the patient has not yet been published, and will be needed to fully assess its risk.
• Scientists will want to know how easily H10N3 can infect human cells to determine if it could become a greater risk.
• H5N1 variant that first infected people in 1997 has been the most deadly, killing 455 people globally so far.

Daily Current Affairs : Click Here