"Canadian teen in critical condition with suspected bird flu; source of exposure is unknown

The teen has been receiving care at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver since Friday, the same day an initial test came back positive for H5 influenza. Government testing confirmed that the strain is H5N1. The young person’s first symptoms, which began a week before they were hospitalized, were conjunctivitis or red eyes, fever and cough, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, an epidemiologist who is the provincial health officer for British Columbia. The illness has progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. People with ARDS typically need help breathing with machines such as a ventilator, but officials did not offer specifics on the teen’s treatment except to say they’re receiving antiviral medications. This is the first known human case of bird flu acquired in Canada. The country had one case in 2014, which was travel-related, Henry said. It is still unknown how the teen caught this strain of flu, which has been circulating widely in wild birds, poultry and some mammals, including cattle in North America since 2022."

Source: CNN, shared by Adam Tooze https://adamtooze.substack.com/

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