H7N7 Bird Flu Infection Confirmed in Italian Poultry Worker03 September 2013
ITALY - The National Institute of Health had recorded a positive diagnosis for H7N7 avian influenza A virus in a person suffering from conjunctivitis and occupationally exposed to sick birds belonging to the farms in the region of Emilia Romagna, where this viral infection is currently known to be circulating in poultry.
ProMed reports that the H7N7 avian influenza virus is not easily transmitted to humans, who can become infected only if there is direct contact with a sick or dead animal.
Unlike other avian viruses (such as H7N9 or H5N1), avian H7N7 influenza virus tends to result only in mild disease (such as conjunctivitis) in Man, as has been observed previously in a human outbreak that occurred previously in the Netherlands.
Since transmission from person-to-person is rare, human outbreaks tend to self-contained, so the risk to the community is extremely low or even non-existent.
ProMed adds that the Emilia Romagna Region authorities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, have already identified outbreaks in poultry, and appropriate measures have been taken to control the outbreak.
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