WHO confirms first human case of bird flu in Australia after reverse case in Mexico

World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the first human case of bird flu in Australia, which Australian authorities had already announced last month, in a two-year-old girl who had traveled to India. In a statement, WHO said the H5N1 virus that causes avian influenza “likely” originated in India and warned that infection with this subtype of the virus “has potentially serious health consequences.” However, this confirmation came just after the WHO had to correct and admit that the death of a man in Mexico was not linked to a different strain of the virus (H5N2) that had never been detected in humans.

WHO noted that, according to Australian authorities, the girl began to feel unwell on February 25 and three days later was taken to the doctor with a fever, cough and vomiting, for which she was prescribed paracetamol. The girl did not leave Kolkata and her case was not reported to Australian Customs, although no family members or close contacts showed symptoms. The Victorian State Department of Health in Australia reported the case on May 22, explaining that The girl was already healthy and the likelihood of infection between people was “very small.”

However, WHO also indicates that the virus of animal origin can be transmitted between people, although the most normal thing is for transmission between animals to continue. “Infection of people mainly occurred through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. Depending on the original host, influenza A viruses can be classified as avian influenza, swine influenza or other types of animal influenza viruses,” they say from the US. Nations Agency.

What happened in Mexico?

According to WHO, from 2003 to November 2023, 880 human cases of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza were identified in 23 countries. However, the UN organization said that the death of a man in Mexico It was caused by the H5N2 strain of bird flu, which has never been found in humans. A 59-year-old man hospitalized in Mexico City died on April 24 from fever, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, nausea and general discomfort, he told WHO.

When WHO reported this information, Mexico’s health ministry assured that there was so far no evidence of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza in the case of the deceased man and that he had several pre-existing conditions. Finally, WHO had to backtrack and correct itself, saying on Friday that this could not be considered a death from this strain of bird flu.