In the US, four children were infected with a previously unknown strain of the H3N2 influenza virus
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In the United States, four children were infected with a previously unknown strain of the H3N2 flu virus, MSNBC reported, citing a spokeswoman for the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tom Skinner.
According to the CDC, one of the cases of influenza was recorded in Indiana. Infection infected the boy, whose relatives were in contact with the pigs. Three sick children were identified in the state of Pennsylvania. All of them attended the same fair, held from 13 to 20 August, where they also had contact with these pets.
Skinner said that the children infected with influenza had an unknown strain of the H3N2 virus, which can be easily transmitted from person to person. He added that in the course of laboratory studies, a new species of pathogen was found to have a gene characteristic of the H1N1 virus that caused the influenza pandemic in 2009-2010.
A representative of the CDC also noted that two out of four children who had fallen ill in September 2010 received H1N1 flu vaccines that were ineffective to protect them from a new strain of the pathogen.
The H1N1 influenza pandemic, launched by WHO in April 2009, lasted about 15 months and covered 214 countries. According to the international organization, more than 18 thousand people became victims of the infection. During the pandemic, WHO organized a free supply of H1N1 35 vaccines to developing countries.
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