Chinese scientists reveal that the H5N8 virus did not cause the outbreak of bird flu in China

The Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced on the 7th that the research team of Academician Chen Hualan found that the H5N8 virus (hereinafter referred to as "H5N8") that swept Europe and Asia last year was introduced into China through swans at the beginning of this year and did not cause poultry.
The outbreak of avian influenza is due to the fact that the chickens and ducks routinely immunized in our country’s poultry farms can completely resist the attack of the H5N8 virus
.
Since 2020, the H5N8 subtype avian influenza virus has caused epidemics in poultry and wild birds in more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia
.
At the beginning of this year, H5N8 was introduced to wild birds in China through swans, but it did not cause an outbreak of poultry avian influenza
.
In order to scientifically prevent and control the H5N8 avian influenza epidemic and determine whether the avian influenza vaccine can effectively block this type of virus from invading poultry from wild birds, the team of Academician Chen Hualan from the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences conducted research on these issues
.
Between September 2020 and June 2021, the team collected and analyzed 41,172 poultry swab samples and 317 wild bird samples, and isolated 36 H5N8 strains, of which 22 were from wild birds and 14 were from ducks and Goose
.
These viruses are divided into two gene types.
The first type of virus was found to be circulating in Europe from January to June of 2020, South Korea and Japan from October to December, and introduced into China by swan in January 2021; The type virus was first detected in poultry in Iraq in May 2020.
It was endemic in Russia from June to September.
It was introduced to more European countries in October, and was introduced into China by swans, and then spread to 16 species of wild birds and some in China.
Ducks and geese of the region
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Studies have found that these viruses are highly lethal to chickens, mild to ducks, and virulence to mice varies from strain to strain
.
Although H5N8 was introduced to wild birds in China, it did not cause a poultry avian influenza outbreak.
This is because chickens and ducks routinely immunized in our country’s poultry farms can completely withstand the H5N8 virus attack..
The research team published the research results in the journal Scientia Life Sciences in China (English version) under the title of "The Spatio-temporal Spread, Biological Characteristics of H5N8 Subtype Avian Influenza Virus, Biological Characteristics and the Protective Effects of Current Vaccines Used in China".
This study strongly urges high-risk countries to immunize poultry with H5 vaccine to effectively block the introduction of the virus from wild birds into poultry and protect human life and health
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