A teenager who tested positive for the H5 strain of the avian flu virus is currently being treated in a pediatric hospital. Health authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the origin of the contamination and trace the teenager’s contacts.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s public health officer, called the event “rare.” She said a thorough investigation is underway to identify the potential source of exposure in British Columbia.
International context and transmission risks
Avian flu, usually detected in wild birds and poultry, has also affected mammals, including cows in the United States earlier this year, and, in late October, a pig, a first for this country. Although human infections remain rare, experts are vigilantly monitoring the increase in cases in mammals. This spread could promote a mutation allowing increased transmission of the virus between humans, a worrying scenario for specialists.
Several cases of human infection have already been reported in the United States, heightening attention to the risks of a potential pandemic, as virologist Bruno Lina recently highlighted, at a time when the European Union acquired 665,000 doses of bird flu vaccine.
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