The World Health Organization (WHO) is downplaying the risk of avian influenza infection recently reported in China.
The WHO on Tuesday assessed the risk of human-to-human transmission of newly reported cases of avian influenza in China as “low” following the detection of cases of mixed H3N2 and H10N5 avian influenza. announced.
The reported cases have come under intense scrutiny as China’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic has led to low public confidence in the Chinese government’s ability to warn the world about the disease. Ta.
Despite the tragic outcome for patients, the WHO and Chinese health authorities emphasized the temporary nature of the epidemic and continued efforts to monitor and respond to the avian influenza outbreak. He has sought to reassure the people and the international community.
According to a statement released by the WHO, there is no evidence of sustained human transmission of these avian influenza viruses, and no cases of suspected human infection have been confirmed through investigations or tests conducted by authorities.
The WHO statement emphasized that “surveys and tests carried out by the authorities have not detected any new cases of suspected human infection,” adding that the ability of the avian influenza virus to sustainably infect humans remains uncertain. He claimed that it was not shown.
“Therefore, human-to-human transmission is considered unlikely,” the group concluded, describing the incident as “temporary cross-species transmission from birds to humans.”
This case of bird flu was first reported to the WHO by China on January 27 and made public several days later.
“This outbreak represents a temporary cross-species transmission from birds to humans,” the National Agency for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Jan. 31 statement.
The patient, a 63-year-old woman from Anhui province with a chronic illness, became infected on November 30th with symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and fever, and later died on December 16th.
On January 31, Reuters reported in detail the progress of the woman’s illness, pointing to her occupation as a farmer and her hospitalization schedule as her symptoms worsened and led to her death in Zhejiang province.
Hector Retamal/AFP (via Getty)
The identification of the H3N2 and H10N5 strains in the woman’s respiratory samples followed the initial isolation of the strains by Zhejiang provincial authorities on January 22, and the China Disease Control on January 26, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research. Confirmed by the Prevention Center. Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday.
The case prompted health authorities and the WHO to urge action, stressing that the risk of the virus transmitting the virus to humans is currently low and there is no human-to-human transmission, CIDRAP reported.
rare knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.