The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Wednesday the first human death from the H5N2 bird flu in Mexico.
WHO confirmed the first fatal human case of the H5N2 avian influenza strain. The case represents the first laboratory-confirmed human infection with this bird flu subtype worldwide, according to the news release. The deceased, a 59-year-old resident of Mexico with no known exposure to poultry or other animals, developed symptoms including fever, nausea, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and general malaise April 17.
The World Health Organization confirmed Wednesday the first fatal case of a subtype of bird flu in Mexico. https://t.co/Y2a1o9oB5a
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He was admitted to the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City last April 24 and passed away on the same day. The patient had underlying health conditions and had been bedridden for other reasons for three weeks before contracting the bird flu, the news release stated. (RELATED: ‘Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza’ Outbreaks Erupt Globally, Forcing Countries To Issue Significant Alerts)
After the patient’s death, tests confirmed an infection with the H5N2 bird flu subtype, a strain never before seen in humans, the news release added. WHO then monitored 17 people who had contact with the patient in the hospital. Although one individual reported a runny nose, all tested negative for influenza and COVID-19.
Dead birds are collected along the coast in the Vadso municipality of Finnmark in Norway following a major outbreak of bird flu on July 20, 2023. (Photo by YVIND ZAHL ARNTZEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
Additionally, health authorities tested 12 more contacts from the patient’s neighborhood, including seven who showed symptoms. Nasal and throat samples tested negative for COVID-19, but the results of the blood tests are still pending, WHO stated. Despite this case, the organization maintains that the risk to the general population remains low. However, they emphasize the importance of continued vigilance and surveillance, given the potential public health impact of human infections with bird flu.
Meanwhile, the United States has recently faced outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, impacting millions of birds and several older dairy cows. Three farmworkers contracted the virus, exhibiting only mild symptoms, according to the organization. Like the H5N2 case in Mexico, these U.S. cases showed no signs of human-to-human transmission.
