First Human Death From H3N8 Bird Flu in China – WHO Says It Does Not Spread Easily Between People
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China has reported its first human death from H3N8 bird flu. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H3N8 does not spread easily between people.
This type of bird flu has been seen particularly in North American waterbirds since 2002 and can infect animals such as horses, dogs and seals. The first two human cases were detected in 2022, but neither was fatal.
Flu is caused by influenza viruses, a group of RNA viruses that cause a contagious respiratory illness. Influenza viruses are divided into four main types: A, B, C and D. Influenza A and B are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics and severe illness. Influenza C generally causes mild respiratory disease, while influenza D occurs mainly in animals and is not known to cause disease in humans.
Influenza A viruses have two main surface glycoproteins: haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). Haemagglutinin enables the virus to attach to cells and initiate infection, while neuraminidase helps new virus particles leave the cell and spread to others. Influenza A subtypes are classified by different combinations of these surface proteins. The numbers beside H and N identify different haemagglutinin and neuraminidase variants.
So far, 18 haemagglutinin types, H1 to H18, and 11 neuraminidase types, N1 to N11, have been identified. All H and N combinations can occur in birds, whereas only H1N1, H2N2 and H3N2 are common in humans. Bird flu viruses form a subgroup of influenza A viruses and can spread from birds to humans and other animals.
First Death in China
The person who died from H3N8 bird flu was a 56-year-old woman from Guangdong province in southeastern China. According to WHO, she had been exposed to live poultry and lived in an area with wild birds around her home. Her contacts reportedly showed no signs of infection.
WHO states that the virus cannot spread easily between people, so the risk of human spread at national, regional and international levels is low. However, because influenza viruses constantly evolve, global surveillance is important to detect changes that could affect human and animal health.
Is There a Risk of an Outbreak?
WHO states that the H3N8 bird flu virus does not spread easily between people. The risk of human spread at national, regional and international levels is therefore considered low.
In previous cases, transmission probably occurred through direct or indirect exposure to infected poultry. This suggests that H3N8 currently lacks the potential for a rapidly spreading human pandemic or epidemic.
However, WHO stresses the importance of global surveillance to identify virological, epidemiological and clinical changes in circulating influenza viruses that could affect human or animal health. Because influenza viruses constantly evolve, the situation should be monitored closely and appropriate precautions taken.
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Major Influenza Outbreaks in History
Some important influenza outbreaks and their characteristics are listed below:
Outbreak Name · Year · Virus Type · Death Toll · Outbreak Characteristics
| Outbreak Name | Year | Virus Type | Death Toll | Outbreak Characteristics |
| Spanish Flu | 1918-19 | H1N1 | 50-100 million | The deadliest pandemic of the 20th century. One-third of the world’s population was infected, and most deaths occurred among young adults. |
| Asian Flu | 1957-58 | H2N2 | 1-2 million | First emerged in Asia and spread worldwide. Children, older adults and pregnant people were most affected. |
| Hong Kong Flu | 1968-69 | H3N2 | 1 million | First emerged in Hong Kong and spread worldwide, with particularly fatal effects among older adults. |
| Bird Flu | 1997 | H5N1 | 455+ | First identified in humans in Hong Kong. An 18-year-old child died, and 6 people became ill. It occurred in poultry in many countries, with limited transmission to humans. |
| Swine Flu | 2009 | H1N1pdm09 | 151,000-575,000 | First seen in Mexico and the United States, it rapidly spread worldwide. It was considered a pandemic in 2009-2010 and had particularly fatal effects among young and middle-aged people. |
This table shows some major influenza outbreaks and their characteristics. These outbreaks claimed millions of lives and caused serious health problems worldwide.
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