[ad_1]
MOSCOW – Russia has said its scientists have detected the first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of bird flu to humans and alerted the World Health Organization.
In televised remarks, the head of the Russian health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said scientists at the Vektor lab isolated genetic material from the strain of seven workers at a poultry farm in southern Russia , where an outbreak was recorded among the birds in December.
The workers did not suffer any serious health consequences, she added.
Receive the daily edition of The Times of Israel by email and never miss our best articles Sign up for free
“Information on the world’s first case of avian influenza (H5N8) transmission to humans has already been sent to the World Health Organization,” Popova said.
There are different subtypes of avian influenza virus.
While the highly contagious strain H5N8 is fatal to birds, it has never before been reported to spread to humans.
Popova praised “the important scientific discovery”, saying that “time will tell” if the virus can continue to mutate.
“The discovery of these mutations when the virus has not yet acquired the capacity to be transmitted from person to person gives us all, the whole world, time to prepare for possible mutations and to react in a adequate and timely, ”Popova said.
People can be infected with avian and swine flu viruses, such as avian influenza subtypes A (H5N1) and A (H7N9), and swine flu subtypes such as A (H1N1).
According to the WHO, people are usually infected through direct contact with animals or contaminated environments, and there is no lasting transmission between humans.
H5N1 in humans can cause serious illness and has a mortality rate of 60%.
Located in Koltsovo, outside the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, the Vektor State Virology and Biotechnology Center has developed one of Russia’s many coronavirus vaccines.
During Soviet times, the top-secret laboratory conducted covert research on biological weapons and still stored viruses ranging from Ebola to smallpox.
Speaking in televised remarks, Vektor’s director Rinat Maksyutov said the lab was ready to start developing test kits that would help detect potential cases of H5N8 in humans and start work on a vaccine.
The Soviet Union was a scientific powerhouse, and Russia sought to resume a leading role in vaccine research under President Vladimir Putin.
Russia registered the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in August, months before Western competitors and even before large-scale clinical trials.
After initial skepticism in the West, the Lancet journal this month published results showing that the Russian vaccine – named after the Soviet-era satellite – was safe and effective.
Avian flu has raged in several European countries, including France, where hundreds of thousands of birds have been slaughtered to stop the infection.
[ad_2]
Source link