Russia has notified WHO about the possible strain. “If confirmed, this would be the first time that H5N8 has infected people,” a WHO spokesman in Europe said in a statement on Saturday.
The reported cases were of workers exposed to flocks of birds, according to preliminary information, the statement added.
The workers were “asymptomatic and no human-to-human transmission has been reported,” said the spokesman.
Speaking during a news conference on Saturday, Anna Popova, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Consumer Rights and Human Welfare, said the strain was detected in seven poultry farmers in the south of the country, state news agency TASS reported.
Although it has not yet been confirmed by WHO, the Russian health authority said it is in discussion with national authorities to gather more information and “assess the impact of the incident on public health”.
Avian influenza generally affects only birds and there are many different strains of it.
Most cases of human infection are due to contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with excretions from infected birds: saliva, nasal secretions or feces.
In 2014, an outbreak of H5N8 infected poultry on farms in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.