H10N3: Another Terrible Virus Strain Emerges as First Case is Recorded in China
- A strain of bird flu known to health researchers as H10N3 has been reported with its first case found in China
- The National Health Commission (NHC) in China's capital, Beijing, said the strain was discovered in a patient after he was hospitalised
- However, it was revealed by the commission that the strain is not severe in nature and has a low ability to spread
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China- The first human case of a strain of bird flu known as H10N3 has been discovered in the Jiangsu region of China.
Health officials in the district revealed that the carrier is a 41-year-old man who works in a poultry, BBC reports.
Source: UGC
According to Beijing's National Health Commission (NHC), the man was diagnosed with the strain of the flu about one month after he was hospitalised.
So far, no other case has been found through contact tracing carried out by medical practitioners in the Asian nation.
Confirming this, the NHC noted:
"No human cases of H10N3 have been reported in the world. This case is an occasional poultry-to-human cross-species transmission, and the risk of a large-scale spread is extremely low."
Also, the commission explained that the strain is low pathogenic, which means it is not severe and less likely to spread.
Added to this, it was reported that the said patient has fully recovered and is ready to be discharged from the hospital.
But reacting to the development, the World Health Organisation (WHO) clarified that influenza from birds usually spreads in poultries, adding that this implies a persistent pandemic threat, Reuters report.
WHO stated:
"As long as avian influenza viruses circulate in poultry, sporadic infection of avian influenza in humans is not surprising, which is a vivid reminder that the threat of an influenza pandemic is persistent."
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Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced on Tuesday, 1 June that over one million South Africans have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The total number of people vaccinated is 1 045 104.
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The above number includes 479 768 frontline healthcare workers and over 565 336 citizens who are over the age of 60. The frontline healthcare workers were vaccinated during the Sisonke Programme in Phase 1.
The elderly citizens have been participating in the inoculation drive since the start of Phase 2 in mid-May.
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Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
