A teenager tested positive for the H5N1 virus, or avian flu, in British Columbia.
At least that is what its provincial government confirmed Saturday evening in a press release.
This is the first case of detection of avian flu in the country.
The young individual is from the Fraser Health region and is at BC Children’s Hospital.
“Our thoughts are with this young person and her family during this difficult time,” said the Dre Bonnie Henry in the press release.
“It’s a fairly rare event,” she said.
A public health investigation is still underway in order to divert the source of the contact that caused the presumed positive test. This could come from an animal or a bird.
Cases occur “most often after close contact with infected birds or in highly contaminated environments, such as poultry farms or live animal markets,” Health Canada said on its website.
Symptoms of bird flu are quite rare, according to the ministry. The first signs are usually cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle pain and headache.
If you have any of these symptoms and have had exposure to contaminated birds or other animals, Health Canada recommends contacting a health care provider or public health authorities as quickly as possible. of your region.
In the event of severe symptoms, such as kidney and liver dysfunction or heart failure, contact 911 immediately.
No outbreaks have been confirmed in Canada as of this writing.
In the United States, 44 people have been affected by the H5 virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on November 4. Of these, 19 were associated with bird cases and 24 with cows.
