Rise in China human bird flu cases shows risk of fast-changing variants: experts
BEIJING— A jump in the number of people in China infected with bird flu this year is raising concern among experts who say a previously circulating strain appears to have changed and may be more infectious to people.
"The increase in human cases in China this year is of concern. It's a virus that causes high mortality," said Thijs Kuiken, professor of comparative pathology at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Since then, a 60-year-old woman in Hunan province was admitted to hospital in critical condition with H5N6 influenza on Oct. 13, according to a Hong Kong government statement.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention could not be reached for comment on the rise in H5N6 human cases. However, a study published on its website last month said the "increasing genetic diversity and geographical distribution of H5N6 pose a serious threat to the poultry industry and human health."
At least 10 were caused by viruses genetically very similar to the H5N8 virus that ravaged poultry farms across Europe last winter and also killed wild birds in China. That suggests the latest H5N6 infections in China may be a new variant.
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