Here We Go Again: First Bird Flu H5N8 to Human Transmissions in Russia

If it was not bad enough dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic, and a resurgence of Ebola in Guinea, now it turns out the first ever human transmission of bird flu H5N8 virus has occurred in Russia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated the bird flu H5N8 virus can cause death or severe illness among humans. Something else to look forward to, especially as there are so many Russians coming in and out of the UK on a constant basis.

Anna Popova, Russia’s public-health chief, said in televised comments on Saturday.

“It is not transmitted from person to person. But only time will tell how soon future mutations will allow it to overcome this barrier,” she said. The discovery of this strain now “gives us all, the whole world, time to prepare for possible mutations and the possibility to react in a timely way and develop test systems and vaccines.”

Something to look forward to in the future, especially when you’re tucking into your chicken dinner in another COVID-19 lockdown.