Mexico has reported its first human bird flu infection. The infection was confirmed on Tuesday in a three-year-old girl living in the northern state of Durango, who remains hospitalized in serious condition. Durango’s economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, primarily its cattle industry.
“So far there is no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission,” the health ministry said in a statement, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the public health risks of the virus to the general population to be low.
A particularly severe variant of the H5N1 strain has been spreading around the world in animals since 2020, causing lethal outbreaks in commercial poultry and sporadic infections in other species, from alpacas to house cats. Last year, it was detected in cows for the first time. –Reuters
Last year, the WHO reported Mexico’s first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with the A(H5N2) bird flu in a person who had no known exposure to animals and later died of chronic illness.
Recently, the media reported on a two-year-old Indian girl who died after consuming raw chicken.
Two-Year-Old Dies Of Bird Flu After Eating Raw Chicken
The toddler, from Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh state, died on March 15th after developing fever, breathing difficulties, and diarrhea. Damodar Naidu, the director of animal husbandry in Andhra Pradesh, said the child was admitted to the hospital two to three days after consuming the raw chicken.
A person in Louisiana has also reportedly died of bird flu. The patient, who has now passed away, had underlying medical conditions before contracting the bird flu and was over the age of 65.
First U.S. Human Bird Flu Death Reported
A woman in Wyoming had been hospitalized recently with bird flu as well. News reports have not indicated whether or not the woman has recovered. However, had she died, it would likely already be known.
Woman Hospitalized In Wyoming With Bird Flu
Human cases seem to be ticking up slowly but without evidence of transmission. So far, all cases have been traced back to animals. The time before this becomes transmissible between humans seems to be waning.
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