Sunday 10/November/2024 – 10:47 AM
Health officials in Canada revealed the first case of EBird flu H5 infection in a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, according to Reuters.
The first human case of bird flu
The teen may have contracted the virus from a bird or animal and was receiving care at a children’s hospital, the county said in a statement.
The province added that it is investigating the source of exposure and identifying those in contact with the teen, and Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland indicated in a post on X that the risk to the public remains low.
British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry explained in a statement: This is a rare event. We are conducting a comprehensive investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in British Columbia.
Bird influenza virus outbreak
The H5 avian influenza virus is widespread among wild birds worldwide and has caused outbreaks among poultry and dairy cattle in the United States, with several recent human cases among U.S. dairy and poultry farm workers.
There has been no evidence yet that the virus is transmitted from one person to another, but scientists said that this could lead to the spread of a global epidemic.
Bird influenza cases
Earlier in November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked farmworkers who were exposed to animals infected with bird flu to get tested for the virus even if they did not show symptoms of the disease.
Bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 US states since March, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April.
In Canada, British Columbia has identified at least 22 infected poultry farms since October, and a large number of wild birds have also tested positive, according to the province.
