H5N8 is a subtype of Avian influenza among poultry and wild birds. The virus has spread across several countries since early last year. Russia on Saturday said that it had detected the first case of transmission of H5N8 strain of avian flu to humans. The country has also alerted the World Health Organisation, reports AFP.

There are different subtypes of avian influenza viruses. While the highly contagious strain H5N8 is lethal for birds it has never before been reported to have spread to humans.

The H5N8 virus was first detected in a bird in a pet shop on the Mediterranean Island of Corsica in November before spreading to duck farms on the mainland in December.

Several European countries have reported the spread of this new strain of bird flu. Since the winter began, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain and Ireland have reported bird flu outbreaks. Dutch authorities culled some 190,000 chickens in November over the discovery of the virus at two farms.