B.C. teen discharged from hospital 2 months after critical case of avian flu
Global News
The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) said the teen was discharged from BC Children's Hospital on Jan. 7.
The 13-year-old B.C. girl who became North America’s first critical pediatric patient with avian influenza has been discharged from hospital, health officials said Thursday.
The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) said the teen was discharged from BC Children’s Hospital on Jan. 7.
“This has been a life-changing experience for our daughter and for our family, and we are grateful to have her home with us,” the family said in a statement released by PHSA.
“We thank everyone for their concern and wishes for our daughter and our family throughout this ordeal. Respectfully, we ask for privacy as she continues to heal and we rebuild our lives after this traumatic experience.”
PHSA added the information was released with the family’s consent, and only because of the global interest in the case.
An extensive public health investigation was unable to determine how the girl first contracted the virus.
A case summary published in the New England Journal of Medicine late last month offered a terrifying snapshot of how quickly the girl’s symptoms progressed, to the point where she was placed on a ventilator and ECMO heart and lung machine.
The teen first presented to hospital on Nov. 4 with a fever and conjunctivitis in both eyes, but was discharged without treatment.
