H5N8 avian flu in humans: Russia hails 'important discovery' as it prepares adequate tests

Since Russia reported the first case of bird flu strain, H5N8 being passed on to humans from poultry, the head of Russia's consumer health watchdog, Anna Popova hailed the ‘important discovery’ that can give nations ‘time to prepare’. As per the BBC report, Popova said that all seven workers of the poultry farm in the south of the country are ‘now feeling well’ after being infected with the bird flu following an outbreak in December. Apart from alerting the World Health organization (WHO), she said that required measures had been taken quickly to stop the spread of the infection but at the time, there was no sign of transmission between humans.

As per the report, Popova praised the "important scientific discovery" by Russia's Vektor laboratory that isolated the strain’s genetic material from the infected workers. She was quoted by the media outlet saying, “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.”

She informed that the Russian scientists could now begin working on developing test systems for the bird flu among humans. Even though other strains of bird flu that occasionally infect humans have led to death, H5N8 is the first report of the strain being passed on. Caused by Influenza Type A viruses that usually affects poultry birds including chickens and turkeys, avian influenza or bird flu is a highly contagious disease. There are several strains of the virus and some of them are even mild leading to low egg production among other mild symptoms. However, others are fatal and severe.

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How can bird flu infect humans?

While the bird flu outbreaks have been damaging poultry for several decades, it was first known in 1997 when humans began contracting a bird flue after an outbreak in Hong Kong’s live bird market.  It was identified as the H5N1 strain of the influenza virus that caused the death of 6 out of 18 infected humans. Even though the H5N1 strain was contained, it again emerged a few years later in other parts of the globe causing hundreds of deaths among humans. 

Similarly, other strains of the virus including H5N2 and H5N8 jumped from animals to humans and thus triggering a global public health concern. Only the people who come in close contact with infected alive or dead birds have contracted the H5N1 bird flu but it does not spread from person to person, according to the WHO. The UN health agency has also said that there is no evidence of the virus to spread from properly cooked poultry food because the virus is sensitive to heat.

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Symptoms and treatment?

• Major symptoms of H5N1 infection include 
• cough
• diarrhoea
• respiratory difficulties
• fever (over 100.4°F or 38°C)
• headache
• muscle aches
• malaise
• runny nose
• sore throat

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bird flu is diagnosed by a test that is specifically designed to detect avian influenza called influenza A/H5 (Asian lineage) virus real-time RT-PCR primer and probe set. It offers results in four hours but reportedly the test is not widely available. 

The treatment varies depending on the kind of bird flu but in most cases, it is done with antiviral medication including oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) to reduce the severity of the disease. The viruses, that cause the human form of the flu can easily develop resistance to the two most commonly used antiviral drugs, amantadine and rimantadine (Flumadine). Hence, they should not be used.

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