H5N8 Avian Influenza Virus: Russia on Saturday reported the first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of avian flu to humans and had alerted the World Health Organization.
H5N8 Avian Influenza Virus First Case in Humans
The first case of the deadly H5N8 strain of avian flu in humans in Russia. Russia’s Vector Research Center has confirmed that H5N8 virus has been found inside 7 people in their country. All these people worked in the same poultry form.
Since then, Russia’s health agencies have been tracking all those infected persons in isolation by keeping them in contact.
Earlier no cases of human infection with bird flu were confirmed.
According to reports, scientists at Russia’s Vektor laboratory had isolated the strain’s genetic material from seven workers at a poultry farm in southern Russia, where an outbreak was recorded among the birds in December.
However, health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said the workers did not suffer any serious health consequences.
According to scientist Anna Papova, this pandemic knocked in a poultry in the south of Russia in the month of December. Seven people working there have been infected with this virus. Papova stated that the samples have been sent to WHO.
Anna Popova told that all seven people are feeling fine. Only very mild signs of infection are visible in them. Nevertheless, they are kept in isolation as a precaution. Scientists are constantly monitoring the health of these people.
However, there are no reports of such infection from any other region of Russia.
What is H5N8 bird flu?
The H5N8 is a sub-type of the Influenza A virus that causes flu-like symptoms in birds and mammals. There was no sign yet of transmission between humans.
What is the difference between influenza A and Avian Flu?
Influenza A virus causes influenza in birds and some mammals, and is the only species of the genus Alphainfluenzavirus of the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. Strains of all subtypes of influenza A virus have been isolated from wild birds, although disease is uncommon. While Avian influenza is a disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) ‘Type A’ viruses.
Avian influenza or avian flu is called bird flu. Bird flu is a disease spread by birds. Humans get this disease by coming in contact with an infected bird, whether the bird is dead or alive, there is a risk of spreading the disease from both. The H5N1 virus is responsible for bird flu. Another strain of this is known as H5N8. It is more dangerous than its old variant.
