High proportion of H3 avian influenza virus circulating in chickens – An increasing threat to public health

On April 11, 2023, the World Health Organization reported a death from human infection with H3N8 avian influenza virus in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China 1 Avian Influenza A(H3N8) – China. 〈https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON456〉. Google Scholar . It is the third case reported after Henan province and Hunan province from April to May 2022, and the first known death case from human infection with H3N8 avian influenza virus 2 Cheng D. Dong Y. Wen S. Shi C. A child with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by avian influenza h3n8 virus. J Infect. 2022; 85: 174-211 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (12) Google Scholar , 3 Yang R. Sun H. Gao F. et al. Human infection of avian influenza A H3N8 virus and the viral origins: a descriptive study. Lancet Microbe. 2022; 3: 824-834 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar . From the inductive analysis, it is shown that three cases of human infection with H3N8 avian influenza virus are spatially independent from each other, but they have the same characteristics, such as the same history of exposure to live birds and occur from the Yangtze River and the Pearl River regions (Fig. 1 A), which were similar to the H7N9 cases in 2013 4 Li Y. Qi W. Qiao J. Chen C. Liao M. Xiao C. Evolving H.A. and PB2 genes of influenza A (H7N9) viruses in the fifth wave - Increasing threat to both birds and humans?. J Infect. 2017; 75: 184-186 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar . With the increasing number of human H3N8 infection, the underlying causes and the possibility of recurrence need to be of concern.