admin Canada has reported its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a teenager from British Columbia, health officials announced on Saturday.
The teenager is currently being treated at B.C. Children’s Hospital, with health officials assuring the public that they are working to determine how the infection was contracted and any potential contacts.
The provincial authorities believe the teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or animal, according to a statement released over the weekend.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert, told Global News: “This infection has the potential to develop into an epidemic or even a pandemic. If more cases emerge, particularly from birds to mammals, the virus may mutate and become more easily transmissible.”
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry emphasised that such infections are extremely rare, and her office is carrying out a thorough investigation.
H5 bird flu is widespread among wild birds globally and has been causing outbreaks in poultry as well as U.S. dairy cows, with recent cases detected in dairy and poultry workers in the United States.
In Canada, British Columbia has identified 23 infected poultry farms since October, with many wild birds testing positive, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
However, no cases have been reported in dairy cattle in Canada, and there is no evidence of bird flu detected in milk samples.
“There’s no indication of human cases linked to B.C. farms at this time,” stated Shawn Hall from the B.C. Poultry Association.
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