Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Recently, China reported the first confirmed death of an adult due to A-H3N8 avian flu infection. This news has raised concerns across the globe, and health officials are urging the public to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
According to Fernando Petersen Aranguren, the head of the Jalisco Health Secretariat, the state is on high alert, and the team of epidemiology is closely monitoring the situation. He stated that the progress of the disease in the Asian continent is being closely watched, but it does not mean additional precautions should be taken beyond those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization confirmed three cases of H3N8 avian flu in humans in the last year in China. The most recent case was reported on March 27, and it corresponded to a woman who died from this infection in mid of the same month. The victim suffered from underlying illnesses and had close contact with farmed birds before developing symptoms of the illness.
To minimize the risk of infection, the WHO recommends that countries raise public awareness about the importance of avoiding contact in risky environments such as farms or markets where there are live animals, edible birds, or surfaces that may be contaminated with animal feces. Those people who must be in contact with these species due to their work must have rigorous hand hygiene and use respiratory protection to reduce the danger.
Furthermore, to prevent a mutation of the virus that could facilitate its transmission from person to person, it is recommended that all workers in the poultry sector be vaccinated against influenza.
It is worth noting that a few months ago, there was an outbreak of bird flu in the Los Altos area, which was contained by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader). Therefore, coordination must be complete with this agency to prevent any virus that comes from these animals from infecting humans.
