Russian health officials reported a new strain of bird flu that did not pass from birds to humans on Saturday after the disease first appeared on a poultry farm last December.
Anna Popova, the country’s head of public health, announced that seven cases of the H5N8 strain had been detected among workers on poultry farms in southern Russia, prompting health officials to warn the World Health Organization.
“Only time will tell when future mutations will allow it to cross this barrier,” Popova said in a comment on television on Saturday. Bloomberg
The global community has witnessed several types of swine flu, such as H5N1, H7N9 and H9N2 – but the Russian health chief said all cases in which infected and mild people have recovered from the virus.
“The discovery of this strain now gives us, all over the world, time to prepare for potential mutations and the ability to respond in a timely manner and develop testing systems and vaccines,” she added.
World Health Organization officials told Fox News that the infected had no symptoms and that there was no human-to-human transmission at this time.
Moscow court rejects opposition leader Navalny’s appeal
Reports emerged late last year showing the H5N8 strain was circulating in birds in at least 15 regions in Russia, and cases have been identified in China, the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe.
Not all types of bird flu can infect humans, and health officials have previously stated that poultry farmers are more likely to contract the disease when working with infectious or dead animals.
The most well-known form of bird flu, H5N1, has a 60% mortality rate, but the United States should, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Click here to apply FOX NEWS
Al-Thuq said, Who is that cases of bird flu only occur in humans “sometimes”.
But a WHO spokesman told Fox News: “We are in talks with national authorities to gather more information and assess the impact of this event on public health.”
