Russian experts point to lack of data proving health risks coming from H10N3 bird flu

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM There is no data proving that additional health risks come from the H10N3 bird flu virus, Russia’s State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Chinese authorities said earlier that the world’s first human case of the H10N3 bird flu virus had been recorded in the Jiangsu province, TASS reports.

«There is currently no data indicating that that the H10N3 virus poses additional health risks. There is a need to study the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the virus detected in the Jiangsu province in order to conduct a more balanced evaluation of the epidemiological capacity of this isolate,» the statement reads.

The center pointed out that H10 viruses were common among birds and researches showed that they could transmit to mammals in some cases.

Russia’s sanitary watchdog continues to monitor the circulation of bird flu viruses across the country. «The mechanism to monitor bird flu viruses, developed in Russia, makes it possible to effectively and promptly respond to any potential threat,» the statement added.