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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Scientists talk of 'pandemic potential' after first confirmed human death from new strain of bird flu

Elderly woman from south east China is the first casualty of a worrying new strain, called H10N8

Chinese scientists have said the “pandemic potential” of a new strain of bird flu “should not be underestimated” after the first known human infection resulted in the death of an elderly woman.
The new strain is a variant of a virus known as H10N8, which scientists believe may have originated in wild birds, and later spread to poultry.
The victim, a 73-year-old woman from Nanchang City in south-eastern China, was the first person confirmed to have been infected with the new type, and a second case has since been discovered, raising concerns that the virus has evolved so that it can transfer easily from birds to humans.
Its emergence coincides with a surge in the number of cases of another bird flu strain, H7N9, which is known to have infected 286 people since March last year, causing 60 deaths. The vast majority of cases have occurred in China, but Taiwan has also recorded two infections, and the virus is known to have spread to Hong Kong, which has seen four cases....
In their report of the death, published in The Lancet medical journal today, public health scientists in China said that it “further increases the importance of surveillance for pandemic preparedness and response”, adding that “the pandemic potential of this novel virus should not be underestimated".
However, Dr John McCauley, director of the World Health Organisation’s Collaborating Centre for Influenza, said that the “epidemiological significance” of the infection remained “unclear”.
“Previously we did not think that H7N9 infections might be so lethal,” he said, referring to fatal cases in China. “Now we also must consider H10N8 as well.”
“More human infections by avian H10N8 cannot be ruled out,” he said, adding that the virus did not cause serious di..  http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/scientists-talk-of-pandemic-potential-after-first-confirmed-human-death-from-new-strain-of-bird-flu-9107345.html