China claims to have discovered the first human infection with the H3N8 subtype of the avian influenza virus. However, the risk of large-scale human-to-human transmission is low, China’s National Health Commission said on Tuesday. A four-year-old boy from Henan Province has tested positive for the pathogen after being hospitalized with fever and other symptoms in early April.
The boy’s family raises chickens at home and lives in an area inhabited by wild ducks. The child was infected directly from the birds, the health commission said. The case is a “one-time transfer”. However, the official urged the public on Tuesday to stay away from dead or sick birds.
In addition to birds, the H3N8 subtype is also common among horses, dogs, and even seals. It has been in circulation since 2002 and first appeared in North American waterfowl. In 2012, he was blamed for the death of more than 160 seals off the northeast coast of the US. Transmission to humans has never been proven.