1 Human H5N6 Bird Flu Case Confirmed In China

A single case of the H5N6 bird flu has been reported in southwest China. Is there a risk for the virus to spread?

A 55-year-old man in Bazhong City, Sichuan province, contracted H5N6 avian influenza, Chinese state-run media CGTN reported Thursday. The man reportedly had a fever on June 30 and tested positive for the virus days later on July 6. He has been hospitalized.

Local emergency responses have been deployed and the area has been sterilized. Expert assessment on the case suggests a "very low" risk of a large-scale spread of the virus, the outlet said.

In a July 9 update on avian influenza, the World Health Organization noted that since 2014, it has received a total of 32 laboratory-confirmed cases of human H5N6 infections in the Western Pacific Region, including 19 deaths. At the time of the report, the latest H5N6 case was also from China, with the onset date of May 13, 2021.

According to the organization, there is a risk for "sporadic infection and small clusters" of human cases when there are avian influenza viruses circulating.

"Therefore, sporadic human cases are not unexpected," the WHO explained. "With continued incidence of avian influenza due to existing and new influenza A(H5) viruses in poultry, there is a need to remain vigilant in the animal and public health sectors."

Earlier this year, Russia also reported its first human cases of the H5N8 bird flu strain in seven employees of a poultry plant. These were the first instances of humans getting infected with the H5N8 strain, which is said to be quite deadly in birds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, avian influenza A viruses don't typically affect humans but there have been "rare" cases of human infection. This happens when the birds shed the virus in their feces, mucous or saliva, or when "enough virus" is inhaled or gets into a human's eyes, mouth or nose.

Although the spread of avian influenza A viruses from one person to another is said to be reported "very rarely," monitoring is still an integral part of preventing such cases because of viruses' ability to mutate, the CDC said.