First death due to H10N8 flu

In a report released Dec. 18, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the first death due to the H10N8 bird flu virus on a Chinese woman.

According to Reuters, the victim is a 73-year-old woman living in Nanchang City (capital of Jiangxi Province) hospitalized on November 30 in severe pneumonia, high blood pressure, heart attack, muscle weakness and death. December 6. Before being sick for 4 days, she went to a live poultry market.

China is in a time of bird flu susceptibility when temperatures drop in winter.(Photo: cnn.com)

Authorities are investigating this infection more clearly, while monitoring the health status of family members and people who have contact with patients. However, no abnormal symptoms have been reported.

According to WHO, the H10N8 strain has been detected in poultry since 1965 in at least 7 countries, including China. However, this is the first time there has been a report of human H10N8 infection. There is still no evidence that this virus can spread from person to person.

Information about the first death due to influenza H10N8 was made at the same time that China reported a third case of H7N9 infection in Guangdong province in just 4 days.

China is at a sensitive time, which is the flu season of the year and still has to deal with many problems caused by bird flu. Since the beginning of 2013, the country has witnessed the emergence of three new strains of human flu virus, H6N1, H7N9 and H10N8. In it, the H7N9 virus strain has infected more than a hundred people in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong special zone and claimed 45 lives.

In a study published in August, scientists showed the possibility of human-to-human spread of H7N9 virus, and thus posed a risk of causing a pandemic. However, experts still have no clear evidence that this virus can spread easily and quickly on humans.