B.C. Teen Recovering After Canada’s First Human Case of Avian Flu

The 13-year-old girl was discharged after two months in hospital, with health officials investigating genetic mutations in the H5N1 virus.

A 13-year-old girl from British Columbia, the first confirmed human case of avian flu in Canada, has been discharged after a two-month hospitalization.
The teen was treated for severe respiratory failure, pneumonia, and other complications, including temporary intubation and supplemental oxygen therapy.
Health officials were unable to determine how she contracted the H5N1 virus, though her case is linked to wild birds rather than farmed poultry.
Genetic analysis revealed mutations in the virus that could potentially increase its ability to bind to human airway receptors, raising concerns about human-to-human transmission.
The case is being compared to a recent fatal H5N1 case in Louisiana, with experts noting some shared genetic features between the two instances.