Canada has detected its first presumptive case H5 bird flu One person, a teenager, in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said Saturday.
The province said in a statement that the teen probably got the virus from a bird or animal and is being cared for in a children’s hospital.
The province said it is investigating the source of exposure and identifying the teen’s contacts. Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland said the risk to the public is low to post on x,
“This is a rare occurrence,” British Columbia health officer Bonnie Henry said in a statement. “We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of the risk here in B.C.”
H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and US dairy cows, with several human cases reported recently in US dairy and poultry workers.
There has been no evidence of person-to-person spread so far. But if this happens, a epidemic may spreadScientists have said.
Earlier in November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked farm workers exposed to animals with bird flu to get tested for the virus, even if they don’t have symptoms.
Bird flu has infected about 450 dairy farms in 15 U.S. states since March, and the CDC has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April.
In Canada, British Columbia has identified at least 22 infected poultry farms since October, according to the province, and several wild birds have tested positive.
