A Canadian teenager is hospitalized in critical condition, what appears to be bird flua British Columbia health official said Tuesday.
It’s unclear how the teen contracted the virus, which was detected recently in wild birds and poultry in the province, said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The teen apparently had no contact with infected animals, she said.
Authorities have released few details about the patient. Henry said the teen was healthy before developing symptoms more than a week ago – initially red eyes, cough and fever – and had been hospitalized with a respiratory illness since Friday in Vancouver.
Initial tests indicated that the infection was from avian flu. Authorities believe it is H5N1 avian flu type A, but are awaiting confirmation. H5N1 has spread widely in the United States among wild birds, poultry, cows, and a number of other animals.
In Canada, tests were carried out on about three dozen people who had contact with the teenager. None of them show evidence of infection, Henry said.
Authorities are trying to figure out how the teen became infected, although Henry said it may never be determined. In British Columbia, the virus has been detected in poultry, wild birds and some small animals, primarily when birds migrate through the region.
The Canadian case occurred in the Fraser Valley region of southern British Columbia.
So far this year, at least 46 people in the United States — most of them farmworkers — have tested positive and mostly had mild symptoms.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 of those patients were in California, 11 in Washington, 10 in Colorado, two in Michigan and one each in Missouri and Texas.
The source of the illness was traced to livestock or poultry in all but one U.S. case. The source in the only Missouri case was unknown, the CDC said.
