China reports first human case of H3N8 bird flu

Bird flu makes eggs more expensive in the US 1:16

(CNN) --

China reported the first human infection of H3N8 bird flu on Tuesday, its health agency announced, warning that the risk of large-scale spread remains low.

The patient, a 4-year-old boy, had developed a fever and other symptoms on April 5, China's National Health Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

He was later admitted to a local medical facility on April 10.

The China Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted sample tests and confirmed that the infection was of the H3N8 variant.

Medical observations and sampling tests were then carried out on his close contacts and "no abnormalities were found," the statement said.

The boy had been in contact with chickens at his home in Zhumadian city, Henan province.

Experts believe that the H3N8 avian influenza virus originates from birds and is not effective in infecting people, the agency said.

H3N8 viruses have previously been detected in horses, dogs, poultry, and seals, but no human cases have been reported.

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Other variants of bird flu have been identified in humans, such as the H1N1 swine flu that spread around the world in 2009-2010 causing a global pandemic and causing between 151,700 and 575,400 deaths worldwide, according to the US CDC. USA

China's health agency has advised the public to avoid contact with sick, dead and live birds, and pay attention to food hygiene.

People are primarily infected with avian influenza viruses through contact with infected birds and poultry or their droppings, or contact with contaminated environments such as wet markets and live bird markets.

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