Seven people on a poultry farm in southern Russia tested positive for H5N8 avian flu, officials say, making it the first time that the highly pathogenic virus has been found in humans. There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission.
“Today, I want to inform you of an important scientific discovery made by scientists at the Vector Scientific Center,” said Anna Popova, head of Russia’s consumer health surveillance body, on Saturday. “The first cases of human infection with [avian influenza A(H5N8)] have been confirmed in the laboratory. “
The virus was found in seven employees on a farm in southern Russia, where outbreaks of H5N8 bird flu had previously been reported in the bird population. Popova described human cases as “mild”, according to the Interfax news agency.
“The virus can be transmitted from birds to humans, it has overcome the barrier between species,” said Popova. “As of today, this variant of the flu virus is not transmitted from person to person. Only time will tell how quickly future mutations will allow us to overcome this barrier. “
Popova said the discovery will help researchers prepare for the possibility of H5N8 transmission between humans. Information about the cases was forwarded to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Human cases of the H5 virus are rare, but have occasionally been found in people exposed to sick or dead birds. In rare cases where people are infected with the H5 virus, this can lead to serious illness or death, according to the World Health Organization