Canada

A teen in Canada who contracted bird flu is in critical condition, reports suggest. The patient lives in British Columbia and is the first known human case of bird flu in the country. Health officials are not sure how the teen contracted the avian influenza as there was no obvious exposure to animals.

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Provincial health officials told the media that the teen tested positive for H5 bird flu at BC's public health laboratory. The results of the test were confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Officials suspect the infection probably came from a bird or animal. "This is a rare event," British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said.

"We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in B.C."

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Health officials while making the announcement over the weekend, said, "The source of exposure is very likely to be an animal or bird and is being investigated by BC’s chief veterinarian and public health teams."

The teen reportedly first showed signs of conjunctivitis, similar to the cases reported from the United States. Later, fever and cough also started, after which the teen was admitted to BC's Children's hospital late Friday. 

Also Read: Canada detects first human case of H5 bird flu in British Columbia teen

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The patient's condition had been varying for the past few days, but turned worse by Tuesday, according to BC provincial health officer Bonnie Henry.

"This was a healthy teenager prior to this—so, no underlying conditions—and it just reminds us that in young people, this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness," Henry said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

Health officials are investigating the case to find the source of the outbreak. Everyone who came in contact with the teen was also tested, and all of them came out to be negative. 

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The teen is reported to have come in contact with pets, including dogs, cats, and reptiles. However, testing so far has been negative on them.

Canada has reported H5N1 bird flu cases in wildlife and domestic birds this year, with at least 24 of them from domestic bird facilities, according to data from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

However, no cases have been detected in cattle so far. Notably, US dairy farms reported cases of bird flu in cattle this year, where H5N1 has been detected in 492 herds in 15 states since March. The country has also reported 46 human cases of the virus overall.