What is H5N8? The bird flu strain which infected humans for first time

New Delhi: Russia has reported the world's first case of transmission of H5N8, a bird flu strain, from poultry to humans.

Seven workers of a poultry plant in the southern part of the country had contracted the virus after an outbreak in December. There have been several H5N8 outbreaks in the past, but it is the first time it been reported to infect humans.

The seven people infected have recovered from the virus. Russia has reported the incident to the World Health Organization.

What is H5N8?

The H5N8 strain is a sub-type of the Influenza A virus that usually affects birds and mammals. The virus is highly lethal to wild birds and poultry.

Can it infect humans?

Until the recent discovery in Russia, it was believed that it doesn’t transmit to humans. H5N8 is different from the more common H1N1 strain, which has known to affect humans around the world on several occasions.

Past H5N8 outbreaks:

One of the earliest and most well-known outbreaks of H5N8 strain of avian flu occurred in Ireland in 1983. About 8,000 turkeys, 28,020 chickens, and 270,000 ducks had to be culled as the infection spread through the region.

There have been several other instances of H5N8 outbreaks including that of South Korea in 2014, European countries like Austria, Hungary and Germany in 2016.

The outbreaks have also been reported in India, Israel, Taiwan and Russia.

Recent H5N8 outbreak in India:

Last month India reported the outbreak in the migratory birds following which several thousands of birds were culled. According to officials in Kerala, about 40,000 domestic birds, including 34,000 in the Kuttanad region alone, had to be culled in the state to check the spread of the H5N8 virus.

Is it safe to consume poultry?

Bird flu in humans typically results due to coming in direct or indirect contact with infected birds. Usually the people working in close proximity of the poultry farms considered at high risk. According to standard health guidelines, eating well-cooked chicken is considered safe.

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