First person infected with bird flu in Canada remains in critical condition

Teen from Canada He is in critical condition after being infected bird fluin what is believed to be the first known case of locally acquired human infection in the country, Canadian health authorities said Tuesday. The first case of the disease in a teenager was registered on November 10.

Avian influenza H5 is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects birds, but can sometimes be transmitted to humans and other animals. In humans this can cause respiratory infections varies from mild to severe and can even lead to death.

Doctor Bonnie Henry The health director of western British Columbia said at a news conference that the young man tested positive for the infection and had serious respiratory complications.

The teenager, who has not been identified, began receiving treatment Tamifluan antiviral drug designed to fight infection. Preliminary tests confirmed that it was an H5 avian influenza virus.

The young man initially went to the emergency department on November 2 but was discharged and sent home. However, after a few days his condition worsened, and last Friday he was hospitalized at the children’s hospital in the city. Vancouver.

Canadian authorities examined about 40 people close to the patient, including his family, without identifying any other cases of bird flu in his environment. The teenager had no recent direct contact with birds, although he had had contact with other animals that also tested negative for bird flu, Dr Henry said.

Recall that in 2014, a Canadian died from bird flu after contracting it in China. There are several in the USA dozens of cases of bird flu in humansall involve contact with poultry or livestock on farms.

As of May this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) had recorded 889 confirmed cases of avian influenza since 2003, of which 463 resulted in death.