Health officials in Canada have reported the country’s first case of H5 bird flu in a human. According to reports from health authorities, a teenager from British Columbia has been hospitalized after testing positive for the virus. The teen is currently receiving treatment as further tests are being conducted to confirm the initial diagnosis.
Authorities are also trying to figure out how the teenager contracted the virus in the first place. Initial suspicions are pointing toward contact with wild birds or animals, as stated by the British Columbia provincial health office. Furthermore, according to Al-Jazeera, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said in a statement that cases of this disease are extremely rare.
The province is tracing the teenager’s close contacts to ensure there is no further spread of the virus. Health Minister Mark Holland reassured Canadians that the risk to the general public remains low, despite the extensive spread of the virus among wild birds and poultry, as reported by provincial health authorities.
The H5 bird flu, also known as avian influenza, has caused significant outbreaks in poultry across the United States and other parts of the world. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 450 dairy farms have reported infections since March 2024, with about 40 human cases identified by the CDC.
Most human cases have occurred among dairy and poultry workers exposed to infected animals. The virus has also been detected in other animals, including pigs in Oregon and zoo animals in Vietnam. Despite this, there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission so far.
Reports from the World Health Organization indicate that since the early 2000s, there have been over 900 human cases of H5N1, with a significant portion resulting in fatalities. However, the risk of a pandemic remains low as long as the virus does not spread easily between humans. Scientists and health officials are still monitoring the situation closely to prevent any potential outbreaks.
Meanwhile, British Columbia has been actively testing wild birds and poultry for the H5 bird flu. Several positive cases were found among birds. No cases have been detected in dairy cattle or milk samples, distinguishing the situation from that in the United States.
