China announces new case of bird flu infection in humans

By: MRT Desk

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China anuncia un nuevo caso de infección en humanos por la gripe aviar

The Health Commission of Guangdong Province, South China, ad this Thursday the existence of a new case of infection of the H5N6 strain of bird flu in humans.

The new case occurred in the city of Dongguan, in a context in which the increase in people infected with bird flu in China during 2021 is generating concern among experts, who explain that the current situation is probably given by the mutation of a strain that has become much more infectious to humans than its predecessors.

During the current year, China has reported 21 cases of human infections with the H5N6 subtype of avian influenza to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is a notable increase compared to only 5 infections in the year previous.

“The increase in human cases in China this year is worrying. It is a virus that causes high mortality,” said Thijs Kuiken, professor of comparative pathology at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, who noted that it is urgently needed. , further research in this regard that allows us to understand the current increase in infections in people, as well as the potential risks that this implies.

A study published on the website of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cited by Reuters, states that “the increasing genetic diversity and geographic distribution of H5N6 represents a serious threat to the poultry industry and human health.”

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