WHO points to ducks as source of bird flu death of woman in China

China recently reported the death of a woman infected with both seasonal H3N2 influenza and H10N5 avian influenza, the first known human case linked to this type of avian influenza. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added more information about the case.

The woman was in her 60s, worked as a farmer in Anhui Province, and had underlying health problems. She began to experience symptoms of respiratory illness on November 30, 2023, and was hospitalized on December 2. As her condition worsened, she was transferred to an institution in Zhejiang Province on December 7 and died on December 16. On January 22, Zhejiang authorities isolated H3N2 and H10N5 from his respiratory samples, and they were confirmed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on January 26.

Seven samples contained H10N5

Investigators found that the woman had not received the seasonal flu vaccine. A few days before the onset of symptoms, she was exposed to live poultry when purchasing a duck. Laboratory tests of duck meat in the woman’s refrigerator found H10N5 in seven samples. The woman had no contact with pigs or other mammals. Environmental samples from his home came back negative.

Tracing the woman’s contacts in the two provinces found no relevant cases. The agriculture department tracked the ducks, culled the birds and disinfected the affected areas.

The World Health Organization notes that H10 strains are occasionally found in wild birds, poultry and mammals in different parts of the world. They are viruses of low pathogenicity and do not require notification, so their prevalence is unknown. The H10N5 virus has been isolated from pigs in Hubei Province, China.

The World Health Organization warned that more research is needed to assess the epidemiology of H10N5 in animal populations, adding that so far, H10 avian viruses have not been able to transmit between humans.