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In Russia, a certain pathogen of bird flu has spread to humans for the first time. Seven workers on a poultry farm in southern Russia were infected with the H5N8 virus in December, the director of the consumer protection agency Anna Popova told Rossija 24 television station.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of the case several days ago. “We first wanted to be absolutely sure of our results,” Popova said.
The sick workers are fine and all have experienced mild courses of illness. No more precise information was provided.
Biggest news: According to the consumer protection authority, there has been no evidence that the virus is transmitted from person to person. A pandemic like the one the world is experiencing with the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus does not appear to pose a threat at first.
Renewed danger from mutations
However, Popova restricted that only time will tell how quickly future mutations will allow the virus to overcome this barrier. The discovery, however, gives everyone time to prepare for potential mutations and react in time to develop test systems and vaccines.
H5N8 avian influenza, also known as avian influenza, occurs in wild birds and repeatedly on poultry farms. It was also detected more frequently in Germany in the past, for example in various wild birds in northern Germany at the end of last year. As a general rule, the virus is fatal to birds and a threat to humans has not yet been assumed.
The last major outbreak of avian influenza in Germany and other European countries occurred in the winter of 2016/17. In the Federal Republic of Germany, hundreds of thousands of animals were slaughtered on poultry farms to stop the action.
Until now, only human infections with the H5N1 bird flu virus have been known. The virus first appeared in Southeast Asia and spread to many parts of the world in 2004. Not only wild and farmed poultry were infected, but people too. Hundreds died as a result of the infection. The illness showed typical flu symptoms: high fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat.
However, there was no H5N1 pandemic: the virus did not change in such a way that it could be transmitted from person to person.
