1st human case of H3N8 bird flu reported in 4-year-old boy in China

The first human case of the H3N8 strain of bird flu has been reported by a 4-year-old boy in China.

According to news reports, a boy in Henan province was exposed to chickens and crows at his home, which could have caused him to get the virus. The H3N8 virus can be found in horses and dogs, though it can also be found in the boy. The risk of it spreading from human to human is low, according to a report.

Live Science previously reported that strains of the bird flu have adapted to spread to other animals, such as dogs and horses, as well as humans. Bird flu strains that have hopped to humans include: H5N1, H7N9, H5N6, H5N8 and now H3N8.

The variant came about through a shuffling of genes from more than one bird flu virus, according to a genetic analysis of the case. This type of mixed-up virus can have unpredictable capacity in terms of transmission and virulence in the human population, according to a report by The Guardian. This particular case of H3N8 has genes from previous cases.

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The fact that this variety of H3N8 has hopped to a human does not mean it can spread easily between humans, experts say.

The first human case of another bird flu was reported in China in June of last year. The man in Zhenjiang was hospitalized but eventually discharged.

Health organizations closely watch new variant of the bird flu because of its potential to cause an outbreak in humans. According to Science Magazine, an outbreak of H7N9 in China led to the deaths of more than 300 people. The death toll from the H2N2 strain of bird flu in 1957 was 1.1 million, including 116,000 deaths in the United States, according to the CDC. Live Science reported that the H1N1 virus likely came from birds.

Russia reported the first case of H5N8 passing from poultry to humans in February of 2021. There was no evidence of human-to-human spread, but seven poultry plant workers were diagnosed with the strain.

There is no information about the health status of the young boy.

It was originally published on Live Science.