‘Rare event’: Canada records its first human bird flu case
Al Jazeera
A teenager from British Columbia tested positive for the H5 avian flu, and health authorities are investigating.
Canada has confirmed its first human case of bird flu after a teenager tested positive for the virus, according to health authorities.
The teenager, from the western province of British Columbia, is believed to have caught the H5 avian flu from a bird or animal, said a statement by the province on Saturday. The infected person is undergoing treatment at a children’s hospital.
The province said it was tracing the teenager’s contacts to pinpoint the source of the contagion.
“This is a rare event,” British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said in a statement. “We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in BC.”
Canada’s Health Minister Mark Holland assured members of the public that the risk to them remains low.
