A man in Mexico has died from a strain of bird flu infection that has been detected for the first time in humans, WHO said.
A 59-year-old Mexican resident was hospitalized on April 24 with signs of fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea, and discomfort. The patient, who had already been bedridden for weeks with multiple other underlying conditions, died from the complications. The sample taken after his death tested positive for influenza A (H5N2).
"This is the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus reported globally and the first avian H5 virus infection in a person reported in Mexico," WHO said in a news release.
Although the strain H5N2 had earlier been detected in poultry in Mexico, the source from which the patient contracted the fatal infection is not known, as he did not have any contact with poultry.
Mexico's health ministry confirmed that there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu in the case of the man who died. All people who had contact with the patient tested negative for the virus.
"According to the information available thus far, no further human cases of infection with A(H5N2) associated with this case have been detected...Based on the available information, WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by this virus to be low," the WHO news release read.
Scientists assure that the current case detected in Mexico is unrelated to the bird flu outbreak in the U.S. Three dairy farm workers in the U.S. have been infected so far with the bird flu virus after the H5N1 virus was detected in cows across several states in the country.
While the current case does not change the WHO's recommendations regarding bird flu, the health organization stresses the importance of global surveillance. It is crucial "to detect and monitor virological, epidemiological and clinical changes associated with emerging or circulating influenza viruses that may affect human and animal health and timely virus-sharing for risk assessment."
The WHO recommends travelers to countries experiencing animal influenza outbreaks avoid farms, direct contact with animals, and surfaces potentially contaminated with animal feces. Maintaining hand hygiene, practicing good food safety, and adhering to proper food hygiene practices can help prevent infection.
