# 1591
H7 bird flu is another recently emerging zoonotic that has not only the potential, but the history, of infecting humans as well as birds.
It doesn't, however, seem to be as virulent as the H5N1 strain.
Despite the explanation proffered by Hristo Hristov, Bulgaria's director of the regional veterinary medicine, that:
"The H7 strain is proved dangerous for the birds, but we still cannot claim it could not affect people as well. The migratory bird was just a carrier of the virus."
One hopes this is simply the result of an awkward translation. I think he's saying human infection by H7 cannot be ruled out. But the evidence is that H7 does infect humans occasionally.
The following is a list of known of human H7 infections since 2002 (stats borrowed from CIDRAP's Summary of Avian Influenza Cases in Humans)
- 2002 H7N2 1 case United States (Virginia) Evidence of infection was found in one person in Virginia following a poultry outbreak
- 2003 H7N7 89 cases (1 death) The Netherlands During an outbreak of H7N7 avian influenza in poultry, infection spread to poultry workers and their families in the area (see References: Fouchier 2004, Koopmans 2004, Stegeman 2004). Most patients had conjunctivitis and several complained of influenza-like illness. The death occurred in a 57-year-old veterinarian. Subsequent serologic testing demonstrated that additional case-patients had asymptomatic infection.
- 2003 H7N2 1 New York The source of exposure was not determined
- 2004 H7N3 2 cases Canada (British Columbia) Two poultry workers became ill during an outbreak of H7N3 avian influenza in poultry (see References: Health Canada 2004). Both had conjunctivitis.
- And 4 people were confirmed to have contracted H7N2 in the UK last year.
H7 strain bird flu case detected in Bulgaria
www.chinaview.cn
2008-02-01 19:23:01
SOFIA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- An H7 strain bird flu case was detected in Bulgaria's northern city of Shumen, the country's Ministry of Agriculture announced Friday.
The virus was found in a dead wild duck in Kamchiya River valley, between the villages of Khan Krum and Milanovo.
"The H7 strain is proved dangerous for the birds, but we still cannot claim it could not affect people as well," said Hristo Hristov, director of the regional veterinary medicine service, adding that "the migratory bird was just a carrier of the virus."
The authorities promised to take immediate precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus and called on the local people not to panic.
The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza emerged in southeastern Asia in 2003 and has spread throughout the world, claiming more than 100 lives and causing millions of poultry to be culled.
Several southeastern European countries have undergone bird flu scares since 2005, most notably Romania, which has spent millions in hard currency on flu vaccines and destroying infected birds.
The virus can now be transmitted only from poultry to people, but scientists fear it could mutate into a form that can be transmitted among humans, which could trigger a flu pandemic that would put millions of lives at risk.
