Woman dies from H3N8 bird flu in China

Woman dies from H3N8 bird flu in China

A woman has died from H3N8 bird flu in China, the World Health Organization, WHO, reported Tuesday the first known human fatality from the avian influenza strain.

H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals.

It had not been detected in humans before two prior non-fatal cases emerged both also in China in April and May last year.

The woman who died was a 56-year-old from Guangdong province in southeast China.

She fell ill on February 22, was hospitalised for severe pneumonia on March 3 and died on March 16, the WHO said.

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