Canadian teen critical with Bird Flu: Tracing the source
Key Takeaways
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"We must continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza between animals and to humans,” Theresa Tam, MD - Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Recently, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced the country’s first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 avian influenza, known as the bird flu. According to CNN, Scientists have since conducted genetic sequencing on isolated samples from the case, revealing that viral mutations may have made this specific avian flu variant more equipped to infect humans.[]
The case was reported in a teenager in British Columbia, who continues to be hospitalized with the condition. Lab testing indicated that the teen’s infection was H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D1.1, a type of avian flu that has been identified in an ongoing outbreak among poultry in British Columbia.[] This is a different strain of avian flu than the one circulating among dairy cattle in the United States—HPAI A(H5) clade 2.3.4.4.b B3.13—which has been detected sporadically since April.[]
So far, scientists do not know how the teenager contracted the virus—nor have they identified any other related cases of human bird flu.
Avian flu circulates in Canada’s poultry
The avian flu has impacted an estimated 12,287,000 birds in Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported recently
To help stop the spread, the agency has restricted imports of bird products in some impacted areas. They also encourage people to contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) if they find dead or sick poultry. The CSHC lists numbers for local hotlines to call based on what county a person is located in.
They do not list the outbreak as a food safety concern, and say there is “no evidence” that eating cooked poultry or eggs will transmit avian flu to humans.[]
Avian flu and human risk
While viral mutations raise big concerns for avian flu’s ability to infect humans, Canadian health officials have not reported any other human cases of avian flu at this time. As such, they maintain that infection risks are low for humans, but stress the need for public health efforts so that risks do not rise.
"This detection was picked up via hospital-based influenza surveillance, confirming that human influenza surveillance in British Columbia and Canada is effective at detecting avian influenza A(H5). We must continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza between animals and to humans,” Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada said in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with this individual and their family, as well as the health workers who are engaged in their care at this difficult time,” Dr. Tam added.
Staying vigilant about infection risks
Should risks of human infections increase, it will be important for doctors to help diagnose and treat patients. Per the rare reports so far, symptoms of avian flu in humans can range from mild to severe and can in some cases be deadly. According to the World Health Organization, of 261 human cases of avian influenza identified in the Western Pacific Region between January 2003 and September 2024, 54% were fatal.[]
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, avian flu symptoms in humans can include:[]
Cough
Shortness of breath
Fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Diarrhea
Runny nose
Sore throat
Fatigue
Conjunctivitis, or red eyes
Bloody gums
Symptoms can also become more severe, leading to symptoms like:
Difficulty breathing
Pneumonia
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Neurological changes, like an altered mental state or experiences of seizures
What this means for you
A teenager in Canada has been hospitalized with avian flu. While avian flu is rare in people, lab testing on the case has revealed concerning viral mutations that may infer the virus is more equipped to infect humans. For now, the source of the teenager’s infection is unknown and no other cases have been identified or suspected.