Canadian teen with suspected avian flu in critical condition by Lisa Schnirring
November 12, 2024
A British Columbia (BC) teen from the Fraser Health region who was hospitalized with an earlier announced presumptive positive H5 avian flu infection is in critical condition, the province's top health official said today.
In a media briefing streamed live on Canada's Global News, Bonnie Henry, MD, BC's health officer, shared the latest investigation findings, noting that the patient's symptoms began on November 2, and he or she was seen that day at a hospital emergency room. She said initial symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever, and cough.
After symptoms worsened, the patient was hospitalized at BC Children's Hospital on the evening of November 8. Henry said the patient, who doesn't have underlying health conditions, is experiencing acute respiratory distress and has received intravenous antiviral treatment. She added that the patient was tested for flu and other respiratory viruses as part of routine illness surveillance.
Though people infected with H5 avian flu in the United States over the past several months have had mild symptoms, Henry said health officials worry that the disease might be more severe in younger people. She noted that early scientific findings suggest that adults who have been exposed to earlier H1N1 seasonal flu viruses might have some partial protection against the current H5 strain.
More at:
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/canadian-teen-suspected-avian-flu-critical-condition
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