Geneva: The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that a woman had died in China from the H3N8 avian influenza strain, marking the first known case of the disease in a human.

After first showing up in North American waterfowl in 2002, H3N8 has been known to be circulating since then. It has been reported to affect seals, dogs, and horses.

Prior to the discovery of two previous non-fatal cases, both in China, in April and May of last year, it had not been identified in humans. A 56-year-old woman from southeast China's Guangdong province perished.

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According to the WHO, she became ill on February 22, was hospitalised on March 3 for severe pneumonia, and passed away on March 16.

Multiple underlying conditions affected the patient. Prior to the onset of the illness, she had previously been exposed to live poultry, and there had previously been wild birds near her home, according to a statement from the UN health agency. At the time of reporting, "no close contacts of the case" had contracted an infection or displayed symptoms of illness.

The WHO stated that although exposure to a live poultry market may have been the source of the infection, "it is still unclear what the exact source of this infection is and how this virus is related to other avian influenza A(H3N8) viruses that are circulating in animals." The organisation called for additional research on both animals and people.

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One of the two cases from the previous year became critically ill, whereas the other one only experienced a mild illness. According to the WHO, both cases most likely contracted the infection through direct or indirect contact with infected poultry.

According to the Geneva-based organisation, "it appears that this virus does not have the ability to spread easily from person to person." As a result, "the risk of it spreading among humans at the national, regional, and international levels is considered to be low."

WHO emphasises the significance of global surveillance to detect virological, epidemiological, and clinical changes associated with circulating influenza viruses that may affect human (or animal) health due to the constantly evolving nature of influenza viruses.

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Most human cases of bird flu are caused by direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry, contaminated environments, or both. According to the WHO, animal influenza infections can cause a wide range of illnesses, from conjunctivitis or minor flu-like symptoms to severe acute respiratory illness or even death. There have been reports of neurological or gastrointestinal symptoms, but these are uncommon, it was added.