The avian influenza, which has been making headlines due to its impact on the food industry and economy in recent months, is posing a growing threat to human health in recent months.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed the first human case of bird flu in the country, believed to be caused by the H5N1 virus.
The British Columbia patient is not only the first confirmed human case in Canada but could also signal a shift in the transmission of the virus, as reported by Mint.
Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry announced at a press conference, following lab confirmation of the teen’s diagnosis: “This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions.”
She added, “It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness and the deterioration that I mentioned was quite rapid.”
Symptoms began for the teen on November 2, including conjunctivitis, fever, and coughing. Hospital admission followed on November 9, where they were tested for bird flu amidst an outbreak among poultry in British Columbia.
Although there was no exposure to farm birds, the teen had contact with dogs, cats, and reptiles, prompting an ongoing investigation into the source of the infection.
The medical community is on high alert due to the unknown origin of the infection, especially after the bird flu was detected in dairy cows in the USA earlier this year. However, it seems unlikely that the virus will spread among humans.
Public health officials have tested around 36 close contacts of the teenager and found no further infections. The Guardian reports that the teen is in critical condition, but Canadian health authorities maintain that the risk to the public remains low.
Nonetheless, those who frequently interact with birds should be careful. Over the past few years, only a few cases of bird flu in humans have been reported in the UK, but the NHS still advises caution around live, sick or dead birds, eggs, animal droppings, farms, feathers, raw poultry or duck.
Symptoms of bird flu in humans can take a few days to appear and may include muscle aches, fever, shivers, headaches, coughs or shortness of breath, diarrhoea, stomach pain, chest pain, nose and gum bleeding, and conjunctivitis.
