As COVID-19 cases drop to its lowest numbers since the beginning of the pandemic, new bad news emerges from China. “The first case of human infection from the H10N3 strain of bird flu has been detected in China, reports said” according to Fox News.
On Tuesday, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed a 41-year-old man in the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu was diagnosed as having the H10N3 avian influenza virus. “The man, from Zhenjiang, was hospitalized on April 28 after developing a fever and other symptoms. He was diagnosed as having the H10N3 avian influenza virus a month later – though it was unclear how he became infected” reports Fox News.
Reuters reported though there are many different strains of avian influenza currently in China, “there have been no significant numbers of human infections since the H7N9 strain killed about 300 people from 2016-2017.” No other cases of humans infected with H10N3 have previously been reported in the world, said the NHC.
Luckily, the avian influenza viruses rarely infect people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Also according to the CDC, the most well-known avian flu strain, H5N1 has a 60% mortality rate, but the U.S. has not reported any human infections.
More good news is reportedly the H10N3 is a less severe strain of the virus in poultry. The NHC says “the potential of it spreading over a wide-reaching area was low.” The Zhenjiang man is reportedly in stable condition and no additional cases have been found.
