THE ESSENTIAL
- A teenager tested positive for avian flu, caused by the H5 strain virus.
- An investigation is underway to determine the origin of the avian flu infection.
- In France, the level of epizootic risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5) increased from “moderate” to “high” this Saturday, November 9.
For the first time in Canada, a human has tested positive for avian flu. According to the Ministry of Health of British Columbia, a western Canadian province, it is a teenager infected with the H5 strain virus.
An ongoing investigation to determine the origin of the bird flu infection
“This is a rare eventindicates Bonnie Henry, local public health official, in comments reported by FranceInfo. We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure.”
The teenager is currently being treated at a children’s hospital nationwide. For the moment, doctors do not know how he became infected with the H5 strain avian flu virus. An investigation is underway to determine this.
Usually, avian flu – more specifically the Influenza A virus (influenza A) – affects birds. But, according to the Pasteur Institute “some of these viruses of avian origin can occasionally cross the species barrier and infect mammals including humans”.
According to the MSD Manualtwo strains of the virus are responsible for the majority of cases of avian flu in humans: H5N1 and H7N9. Although the strains are different, the flu-like symptoms are similar: muscle aches, cough, fever and sore throat.
The risk of HPAI H5 has gone from “moderate” to “high” in France
L’National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) indicates that the patient’s condition can “in extremely rare cases worsen rapidly due to severe respiratory problems”.
If this human contamination is a first in Canada, this is not the case in other countries. In the United States, for example, a few people have been infected this year.
In France, the level of epizootic risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5) increased from “moderate” to “high” this Saturday, November 9, according to a order of the Ministry of Agriculture published the day before in the Official Journal. One of the reasons is that the circulation of the virus responsible for HPAI H5 in Europe is earlier than last year.
