Bird flu risk remains ‘low’ after first US patient dies from H5N1 virus: WHO
WHO Spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva that the H5N1 virus causing the disease is “does not circulate in humans but jumps into humans” people who come into contact with poultry or dairy cows. “We don’t see sustained traffic,” she emphasized.
Basic conditions
Dr. Harris said the man who died from the disease in Louisiana was over 65 years old and believed to have underlying health conditions.
According to health authorities, he came into contact with chickens and wild birds. Several dozen people in the US have been infected with bird flu – commonly known as bird flu – in the current outbreak, mainly farm workers who have close contact with poultry and livestock.
Dr. Harris emphasized that WHO’s assessment of the risk to the general population “remains low and unestablished.” The main concern is for people working in the livestock industry because they need better protection from infection.
The WHO spokesperson added that the United States is continuing to conduct “a lot of surveillance” on humans and animals, “in the methods we use to grow crops, produce food…all All of those things need to be combined because it’s always a risk.”
Chinese respiratory virus is Are not new
Meanwhile, a respiratory virus spreading in China, called human metapneumovirus, or hMPV, has attracted media attention in recent weeks, but it is not a threat. new or major threat, Dr. Harris emphasized.
A spokesman for the UN health agency said such infections were increasing in China “as expected during winter”, with seasonal flu being “the most common of them”. according to a report by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“China’s reported levels of respiratory infections are within the normal winter range,” Dr. Harris explained. “Authorities report that hospital utilization is now lower than this time last year and No emergency declaration or response was activated,” she added.
As for hMPV, it was first identified in 2001 and “has been present in humans for a long time”, Dr. Harris clarifies.
Risk ‘very, very low’
She added that it is a common virus that spreads in winter and spring and often “causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold.”
Like any of the hundreds of common cold viruses currently in existence, it can lead to more serious illness in patients with poor immunity, especially but not limited to children. newborns and the elderly.
When asked about the mortality rate of hMPV, Dr. Harris described it as “very, very low.” She concluded that this is not a pathogen that commonly leads to death in humans, except for the most vulnerable, and recommended “simple” prevention measures, such as wearing masks, improving the immune system, and recommending “simple” prevention measures. ventilation in enclosed spaces and hand washing.
