China reports 1st human case Of H3N8 bird flu after 4-yr-old tests positive

China has reported the first known human case of the H3N8 bird flu after a four-year-old boy living in central Henan province tested positive for the strain.

China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said the boy had been hospitalised earlier in the month with a fever and other symptoms.

Chinese authorities have said that the boy's family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks.

China's health agency said the boy's case is a 'one-off cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission is low'.

It added that tests of the boy's close human contacts found 'no abnormalities'.

It has, however, asked public to stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.

H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.