A human infection with H5 bird flu has been identified for the first time in Canada. Health officials said a teenager contracted the virus in western British Columbia on Saturday (November 9). British news agency Reuters reported this news.
According to the province, the teenager may have contracted the virus from a bird or animal and is currently being treated at a children's hospital.
Authorities said an investigation is underway to identify the source of the infection and the people the teenager came into contact with.
Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland said in a post on social media that the risk to the public is still low.
In a statement, British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said, 'This is a rare occurrence. We are investigating in depth here to fully understand the source of the H5 bird flu infection.'
H5 bird flu is widespread worldwide in wild birds and is causing outbreaks in poultry and US cattle farms. A few cases of human infection have recently occurred in US cattle and poultry workers.
So far there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission. But if this happens, an epidemic may occur, scientists said.
In early November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered farm workers exposed to bird flu-infected animals to be tested for the virus, even if asymptomatic.
Bird flu has infected nearly 450 cattle farms in 15 US states since March. The CDC has identified 46 human cases since April.
In Canada, at least 22 infected poultry farms have been identified in British Columbia since October. However, no infection has been found in cows so far.
