An elderly woman infected with the H10N8 avian flu virus died recently in hospital, in the Jiangxi province of China. The 73-year old woman was admitted to hospital, suffering from a variety of serious health conditions which included pneumonia, hypertension, heart disease and a muscular disease. It’s important to note that there is no confirmation that she died as a result of the avian virus. Health officials say that the risk of infection is very low and that the H7H9 virus – which also has a low infection rate – is a greater threat to public health.
Elderly people, children, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are more likely to suffer the effects of an infection. For that reason, it’s very important to avoid these high-risk groups if you know you are sick. For additional protection against more common viruses, we recommend you get up-to-date with your vaccinations.
You can read more about the H10N8 story here: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/18/health/h10n8-death-china/index.html?hpt=hp_t3