Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Nov 27, 2024 1:24:41 GMT
B.C. teen avian flu patient remains ‘stable, though still very sick’; strain not related to nearby poultry farms: Dr. Henry - Published Nov 26, 2024
By Charles Brockman
The B.C. teenager who became the country’s first ever human case of domestically acquired H5N1 avian flu remains in critical condition, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provided the update via livestream shortly after 11 a.m.
“This young person has received the best possible care from the clinical team at BC Children’s and is stable, though still very sick,” said Henry.
“We remain hopeful — as they have made some progress last few days — that they will recover from this very severe infection.”
At last word, the teen was in critical condition at BC Children’s Hospital, experiencing acute respiratory distress.
Henry says the province is in the “very critical phase” of determining if anyone else was made sick from the virus, whether from the same exposure that the teen patient had or from contact with the teen.
Last week, she said the teen had no direct link to commercial poultry flocks, and we may never know how they contracted the virus.
“Genotyping helped us understand that it was quite distant from the poultry outbreaks that are happening. So that’s been quite exciting and important for us in helping to narrow down our investigation,” Henry explained.
“And that also helped us understand that the virus that is infecting the young person here is quite different from the human cases in Washington state.”
She confirmed that there has been no evidence of transmission from the teen, nor any other human cases in B.C.
Henry says the detailed public health investigation is closed for now.
“We may not ever know for certain exactly where they were exposed and where it came from. This is not unheard of in the U.S. There have been cases identified last year in Missouri where, again, there was no contact identified, there was no source identified,” she explained.
Henry says the virus is spread by migratory waterfowl, like ducks and geese that fly south in the fall.
British Columbians are advised to stay up to date on the seasonal flu vaccine, stay away from animal droppings, and keep pets away from dead animals.
By Charles Brockman
The B.C. teenager who became the country’s first ever human case of domestically acquired H5N1 avian flu remains in critical condition, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provided the update via livestream shortly after 11 a.m.
“This young person has received the best possible care from the clinical team at BC Children’s and is stable, though still very sick,” said Henry.
“We remain hopeful — as they have made some progress last few days — that they will recover from this very severe infection.”
At last word, the teen was in critical condition at BC Children’s Hospital, experiencing acute respiratory distress.
Henry says the province is in the “very critical phase” of determining if anyone else was made sick from the virus, whether from the same exposure that the teen patient had or from contact with the teen.
Last week, she said the teen had no direct link to commercial poultry flocks, and we may never know how they contracted the virus.
“Genotyping helped us understand that it was quite distant from the poultry outbreaks that are happening. So that’s been quite exciting and important for us in helping to narrow down our investigation,” Henry explained.
“And that also helped us understand that the virus that is infecting the young person here is quite different from the human cases in Washington state.”
She confirmed that there has been no evidence of transmission from the teen, nor any other human cases in B.C.
Henry says the detailed public health investigation is closed for now.
“We may not ever know for certain exactly where they were exposed and where it came from. This is not unheard of in the U.S. There have been cases identified last year in Missouri where, again, there was no contact identified, there was no source identified,” she explained.
Henry says the virus is spread by migratory waterfowl, like ducks and geese that fly south in the fall.
British Columbians are advised to stay up to date on the seasonal flu vaccine, stay away from animal droppings, and keep pets away from dead animals.