WHO says H5N8 transmission to humans is possible
(VOVWORLD) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam have issued a press release urging the Vietnamese Government and public to be vigilant against H5N8 infection following the detection of seven farm workers infected with the influenza A (H5N8) virus at a chicken farm in Russia, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
 (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
This is the first report of H5N8 poultry-to-human transmission despite the virus having been circulating among poultry and wild birds since 2016. All seven human cases were asymptomatic. To date, there is no evidence of severe human infections or human-to-human transmission of this virus.
Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health has never detected the H5N8 virus in their surveillance systems, but the Department is going to increase testing for the virus starting this year.
The FAO and WHO Vietnam urge farmers to step up safety measures on their farms, comply with the vaccination schedule, provide good nutrition to their animals, report any unusual poultry deaths, and ban visitors from entering their farms.