New cases of infection with the modified subtype of avian influenza H5N6 are registered by Chinese specialists. Since the beginning of 2021, 21 people have caught the new strain, writes UNN.

Last year, 5 people fell ill. All patients were exposed to poultry. No cases of infection from person to person have been found.

Experts note that the increase in infection is an alarming symptom, despite the fact that in 2017 the number of people infected with the H7N9 bird flu was hundreds of times higher. Experts note that many infected with the new strain are in critical condition, and 6 patients could not be saved.

“The rise in the number of human cases in China this year is worrying. This virus leads to high mortality,” said Tiis Kuiken, professor of comparative pathology at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam.

Experts from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize that the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of H5N6 pose a threat to human health and poultry.

China is the world's largest producer of poultry meat and a major producer of duck. The country is vaccinating poultry against bird flu, but the vaccine that was used last year can only partially protect against new viruses.

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