H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, has been found in a person in Canada for the first time.
What happened: B.C.’s Health Ministry said a teenager in the Fraser Health region tested positive for bird flu, the first reported human case of the virus in Canada.
- The source of the infection was still under investigation but “very likely to be an animal or bird,” according to the B.C. government.
Catch up: Cases of bird flu have jumped in B.C. poultry farms recently, with 22 facilities in the province infected since the start of October.
- More than 400 outbreaks have been reported by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency across the country since 2021, but the virus is now mostly contained to B.C.
Reality check: So far bird flu hasn’t posed much of a risk to humans — there have only been 46 confirmed cases in the U.S. (and now one in Canada), and no human-to-human transmission.
Yes, but: The more bird flu spreads, the greater the risk it mutates into a new, more deadly virus.
- The detection of bird flu in a pig for the first time last month raised fears about this, as pigs can contract both human and bird flu at the same time, serving as mixing pots for new viruses that are more infectious in people.
Bottom line: Health officials stressed the risk posed to humans by bird flu remains low, but could become more serious if the virus mutates.—TS