Russia detects first case of H5N8 bird flu in humans

February 21, 2021 at 6:15 PM

The first cases of Bird Flu, strain H5N8, were detected among humans from Russia.

The officials stated that seven workers at a poultry plant in the southern part of the country had been infected following an outbreak in December.

Other strains of bird flu infect humans and have led to death.  However, this is the first report of the H5N8 strain being passed on.

“The discovery of these mutations when the virus has not still acquired an ability to transmit from human to human gives us all, the entire world, time to prepare for possible mutations and react in an adequate and timely fashion” head of Russia’s consumer health watchdog, Anna Popova said.(BBC)