Dangerous virus attacking seals can spread to humans

A newly emerging avian influenza virus causes severe pneumonia in the northeast coast of the United States, leading to death, and poses a risk to humans, the study results show. know.

The new strain of influenza virus, dubbed H3N8 bird flu , killed 162 seals that lived on the US coast last year, the study published in the microbiology magazine mBio said.

Most of the seals died under 6 months of age. No one has been infected with the virus so far, but researchers at Columbia University (US) warn that human transmission is possible when the H3n8 virus evolves in the same way as the H5N1 virus.

'Our research results indicate that wildlife species monitoring, disease prediction and prevention need to be monitored,' W. Ian Lipkin, professor of epidemiology at the School of Health and Public Health. of Columbia University, said.

A new influenza virus has emerged that has left 162 seals dead. (Source: Daily Mail)

'HIV / AIDS, SARS, West Nile fever, Nipah and influenza pandemic are typical examples of infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans ,' Lipkin said.

'Any outbreak of animal or wildlife disease must be vigilant and considered a threat to humans'.

Scientists have fully sequenced the new strain of the virus, and found that it originated from avian influenza virus that still exists in the waterbird community since 2002. Since then, the virus has advanced. To the extent that it spreads to mammals by attacking receptors in the animal's respiratory system.

Since 2011, wildlife experts have warned more and more coast seals from Maine to Massachusetts have pneumonia and skin damage. So far 162 children have died. Meanwhile, the H5N1 strain of bird flu is still relatively rare, but it has killed about half of infected people since the outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997.

The World Health Organization said 606 people have been infected with H5N1 since 2003, of which 357 were killed.