Teenager with bird flu left hospital

The audio version of this article is generated by speech synthesis, a technology based on artificial intelligence.

The BC Children’s Hospital says the 13-year-old girl who was sick with bird flu finally left the facility Tuesday after spending several weeks there.

She was initially admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit on November 8 for respiratory failure and pneumonia. The next day, health authorities declared her positive for H5N1.

His care required tracheal intubation and oxygen support.

In a statement, his family said the experience changed their lives and that she is grateful to have their daughter back home.

On the other hand, she asks for respect for her private life while all members of the family heal and rebuild their lives after this traumatic experience.

The teenager, who had a history of mild asthma and a high body mass index, is the first human case of H5N1 in Canada. Authorities say they don’t know how she was infected.

A Health Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that it generally refrains from releasing information about patients, but recognized that there was great interest in the case in North America.

In Louisiana, a patient hospitalized with a serious case of bird flu died earlier this week and a medical journal reported the hospitalization of the teenager in Vancouver.

Separately, the British Columbia Center for Disease Control said it was comparing the genetic characteristics of the teen’s bird flu case with those of the Louisiana patient.

With information from The Canadian Press