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The worldwide well being watchdog described the scenario as “worrying” as information unfold of a woman dying in Cambodia after contracting the virus
The World Well being Group (WHO) has issued a warning amid a current uptick in circumstances of avian flu (H5N1) in Cambodia. Authorities within the Southeast Asian nation just lately reported that two people had contracted the illness, with one finally succumbing to it.
Chatting with reporters throughout a digital briefing on Friday, Dr Sylvie Briand, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, described the most recent tendencies within the unfold of the virus as “worrying.” She additionally mentioned the group was reviewing its world danger evaluation.
“WHO takes the danger from this virus severely and urges heightened vigilance from all international locations,” the official famous.
In line with Briand, aside from a rising variety of circumstances in birds, the same scenario is being witnessed in mammals, together with people.
On Thursday, Cambodian authorities reported that an 11-year-old woman had died of fowl flu, together with her father additionally testing constructive. Their contacts are presently being checked.
Commenting on the case, Briand identified that it’s not but clear whether or not there had really been any human-to-human transmission or if the 2 people had contracted the virus merely attributable to their “publicity to the identical environmental circumstances,” that’s, shut contact with contaminated birds or different animals.
The WHO consultant informed journalists that the group is in shut contact with the Cambodian authorities for any updates.
Whereas H5N1 has been round for greater than twenty years now, a brand new pressure named clade 2.3.4.4b emerged in 2020, resulting in file numbers of deaths amongst wild birds and home poultry alike in current months.
The information gathered up to now signifies that the novel subtype doesn’t sometimes trigger important sickness in people. So far, the WHO is aware of of a mere half dozen circumstances, most of them delicate.
Earlier this month, the group ranked the danger posed to people by H5N1 as low.
Nonetheless, the worldwide well being watchdog is ramping up its preparedness efforts already, noting that there are a number of antivirals obtainable, in addition to 20 licensed vaccines, ought to the scenario deteriorate.
In line with the WHO, a complete of 868 circumstances of human an infection involving numerous strains of avian flu have been reported between January 2003 and January 2023, with 457 of these proving deadly.
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