First human case of bird flu in Canada Health officials in the province of British Columbia said the victim was a teenager. He is under treatment at a children's hospital.
According to the report of The Guardian, on Tuesday, Doctor Bonnie Henry said that the victim had no physical problems before. The virus can spread rapidly in young people and make them seriously ill.
Earlier on Saturday, health officials of British Columbia revealed the first case of H5 bird flu in the province. They think it could be H5N1 bird flu.
Bonnie Henry said about the patient that the symptoms were evident on November 2. The patient was suffering from eye inflammation, fever and cough. He was admitted to the hospital after being tested on November 8. The patient is suffering from acute respiratory distress.
Henry said that the patient did not go to any animal farm. However, there was exposure to dogs, cats and reptiles. However, the source of infection could not be identified. The investigation is going on.
He said, if the virus goes deep into the lungs, there is a risk of getting seriously ill.
Doctors said that more than 30 people who came in contact with bird flu infected animals did not have the virus in them. There is also no evidence that the disease spreads easily from person to person. But according to scientists, if something like that happens, then the disease can take the form of an epidemic.
Henry said that at least 26 cases of infection have been reported in Canada's British Columbia province. Apart from this, many wild birds have been identified with bird flu. However, no infection was found in cattle farms. There was also no evidence of bird flu in milk samples.
Earlier this month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered farm workers exposed to bird flu-infected animals, even if asymptomatic, to be tested for the virus.
Bird flu has been detected in nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 US states since last March. CDC has identified 46 cases of bird flu since April.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that H5N1 flu is considered a low risk to humans as there is no evidence of human transmission. However, especially in the United States, many cattle have been infected with this virus.
