The recent confirmation of Canada's first presumptive human case of H5 avian influenza has raised significant public health concerns. A teenager in British Columbia tested positive for the virus, reportedly contracting it from an animal or bird . This case marks a critical point in understanding the transmission dynamics of avian influenza to humans, particularly given the increasing number of outbreaks in poultry across North America . Health authorities are currently investigating the source of exposure and tracing contacts to mitigate potential further spread.
The teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or animal and was receiving care at a children's hospital, the province said in a statement.
The province said it was investigating the source of exposure and identifying the teenager's contacts. The risk to the public remains low, Canada's Health Minister Mark Holland said in posting on X.
Since March 2024, the U.S. department of agriculture has confirmed outbreaks in 440 dairy cattle herds across 15 states, with the outbreak continuing. The virus has also been detected in 45 commercial poultry flocks and 30 backyard flocks. Canada has been testing milk and livestock, but unlike in the U.S. there has been no confirmed cases of the same strain of the H5N1 virus from the U.S. in either cattle or poultry farms in Canada.
The ministry noted that public health officials are tracking contacts of the patient to monitor for symptoms and to provide guidance on testing and prevention measures.
Currently, no other human cases have been identified in connection with this incident.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital, said the virus is of particular concern because it has the potential to cause "significant clinical harm " in humans.
"This has been a virus that's been on the radar to cause epidemics or potential pandemics," he told CBC News.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it is “a rare event” and only a handful of cases of bird flu, caused by the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus, have been detected in humans in the U.S. and abroad.
The statement says the source of the teen’s exposure to the virus is very likely to be from an animal or bird, while public health officials and the province’s chief veterinarian investigate.
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