First Human Fatality from Avian Influenza Reported in Mexico as France Recommends Targeted Vaccination
A three-year-old girl in Mexico has died from H5N1, while France’s health authority advises pre-pandemic vaccination for at-risk groups due to rising outbreaks.
- Mexican health officials confirmed the first human fatality from H5N1 in the country, involving a three-year-old girl from Coahuila state.
- No additional human cases or positive tests have been identified among the deceased child's contacts, according to Mexican authorities.
- France’s Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) has recommended pre-pandemic vaccination for individuals at high risk, including poultry workers and laboratory personnel.
- The vaccination involves two doses of the Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine (H5N8), administered three weeks apart, to protect against severe illness.
- Global health organizations, including the WHO, maintain that the risk of sustained human-to-human transmission remains low despite rising animal outbreaks and isolated severe human cases.
Sud Ouest 
Ouest-France 