A man being treated for fever in eastern China has been confirmed as the world's first case of human infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu, according to the country's National Health Committee (NHC).
The 41-year-old resident of Zhenjiang, China's Jiangsu Province, developed a fever and other symptoms on April 23 and was admitted to a local hospital five days later.
Last Friday, virus sequencing at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing identified the pathogen as the H10N3 strain of bird flu.
So far, no other cases of human infection by this strain have been reported, but it has not been clarified how the Zhenjiang resident became infected.
In its announcement, the NHC notes that the unnamed patient is being treated in a stable condition and will soon be discharged.
Authorities in China's Jiangsu province have quarantined all people with whom the patient has been in close contact and are still monitoring them.
H10N3 is a relatively less serious strain of bird flu and, according to the China National Health Commission, the outbreak in Zhenjiang was a “single case” of bird-to-human transmission and the risk of a major outbreak is “extremely low”.
Nevertheless, they urged the public to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry and those who show fever or respiratory symptoms to wear masks and seek medical advice.
