H5N8 avian influenza: Russia reports first case of transmission to humans
Workers transport ducks for slaughter after a case of H5N8 flu is detected in southwestern France (illustrative image).
AP - Bob Edme
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Russia announced on Saturday February 20 that it had detected the first case of transmission to humans of the H5N8 strain of avian flu, adding that it had informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of this "important discovery".
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"
The laboratory has confirmed the first case of a person's infection with the group A virus, avian influenza AH5N8,
" Anna Popova, head of the Russian health agency
Rospotrebnadzor
, told television.
This virus was detected in seven infected people in a poultry factory in southern Russia, where an epidemic of bird flu affected the animals in December 2020, said Anna Popova, adding that the sick "
feel good
" and no 'have no complications.
"
Measures were quickly taken to control the situation
" in this focus of infection, she said.
While the H5N8 strain has "
crossed the interspecies barrier
" by being transmitted from birds to humans, "this variant of the virus is not transmitted from person to person at the present time", she again declared.
She said the detection "
gives the whole world time to prepare
" by creating tests and a vaccine, "
in the event that this virus becomes more pathogenic and more dangerous for humans and acquires the capacity to be transmitted. from person to person
”.
A virus to watch out for, according to the WHO
The Russian state laboratory Vektor, at the origin of the discovery, also considered that it is necessary "
today to start to develop a test system which will make it possible to quickly detect cases of this disease in humans
" and to “
start work
” on a vaccine.
Anna Popova indicated that Russia had "
already sent this information to the World Health Organization
".
The H5N8 strain of bird flu is currently rife in several European countries, including France, where millions of animals have been slaughtered to stop its spread.
According to the WHO, the transmission of
avian influenza
to humans is a rare occurrence and requires "
direct or close contact with infected birds or their environment
".
However, this virus "
must be watched
" because it has the potential to mutate.
(
With
AFP)
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