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(CNN) – Russian authorities say they have detected what is believed to be a “human infection with H5N8 avian influenza,” the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to CNN.
Russia notified WHO of 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 workers exposed to flocks of birds, according to preliminary information, the statement added.
The workers were “asymptomatic and no person-to-person transmission was reported,” the spokesperson said.
Speaking during a televised briefing on Saturday, Anna Popova, head of Russia’s Federal Surveillance Service for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare, said the strain had been detected in seven workers at poultry farms in southern Russia. country, state news. reported the TASS agency.
Although not yet confirmed by the WHO, the Russian health authority has said it is in talks with national authorities to gather more information and “assess the impact on public health” of the incident.
Avian flu generally affects only birds and there are many different strains.
Most cases of human infection are due to contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with excretions of 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.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Russia tells WHO it has detected the first case of bird flu strain in humans”
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