Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will provide an update Tuesday morning on the status of a B.C. teenager infected with H5N1 avian influenza and the investigation into the case. The press conference will take place at 11 a.m. PT

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/bonnie-henry-to-provide-update-on-b-c-teen-infected-with-h5n1-avian-flu/ar-AA1uJZkn

Bonnie Henry to provide update on B.C. teen infected with H5N1 avian flu

Story by Amy Judd

 • 2h • 1 min read

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will provide an update Tuesday morning on the status of a B.C. teenager infected with H5N1 avian influenza and the investigation into the case. The press conference will take place at 11 a.m. PT.

On. Nov. 13, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed that a teen in B.C. Children’s Hospital was infected with a human case of avian influenza — also known as bird flu — caused by influenza A(H5N1) virus in Canada

This is the first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 avian influenza.

 

Few details about the teen's condition have been released since then but at that time it was reported that the teen was in serious condition.

Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) is rare and usually occurs after close contact with infected birds, other infected animals or highly contaminated environments.

This story will be updated with more information following the press conference on Tuesday.

On November 9, 2024 a case of H5N1 was reported in a teen in Fraser Health region (see the above news release for more information). Genomic sequencing results from this case indicated that the virus is related to the H5N1 avian influenza viruses from the ongoing epizootic in British Columbia (Influenza A (H5N1). clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D.1 .1). The genome has a E627K mutation in the PB2 gene,  which has previously been observed in other human and mammalian infections.

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/avian-influenza

Presser on 11/12/24