Synopsis
In a tragic development, a three-year-old girl in western Mexico has become the first confirmed human death from avian influenza A (H5N1). Health authorities are monitoring the situation closely, with no additional cases reported thus far.Key Takeaways
- First human death from H5N1 in Mexico.
- Infection occurred in a three-year-old girl.
- Health authorities traced contacts with no further cases.
- Globally, 464 deaths linked to H5N1 reported.
- Virus primarily spread through infected birds.
Mexico City, April 9 (NationPress) A three-year-old girl from western Mexico has succumbed to avian influenza A (H5N1), marking the first human fatality linked to this virus in the nation, according to health officials.
The young patient tested positive on April 1 and passed away at 1:35 a.m. local time (0735 GMT) on Tuesday due to respiratory failures stemming from the infection.
Local health authorities have traced the contacts of the patient, and as of now, no further human cases have been reported, as stated by the Xinhua news agency.
The avian flu is a viral illness that primarily impacts birds, mammals, and on rare occasions, humans, as per the health ministry.
According to the WHO, there have been a total of 464 confirmed human fatalities caused by the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus across 24 countries over the past twenty years.
The A (H5N1) strain is among various influenza viruses that induce a highly contagious respiratory illness in birds known as avian influenza (or "bird flu"). Infections have also been noted in mammals, including humans.
In humans, H5N1 virus infections can lead to a spectrum of health issues, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness, with some cases resulting in death. Commonly reported symptoms are respiratory in nature, but conjunctivitis and other non-respiratory signs have also been documented. There have been some instances of the A(H5N1) virus being found in individuals who had contact with infected animals or their environments without showing any symptoms.
Since 2022, there has been an uptick in deadly outbreaks among mammals attributed to influenza A(H5) viruses, including A(H5N1). It is plausible that more outbreaks remain undetected or unreported. Both terrestrial and marine mammals have been impacted, including outbreaks in farmed fur animals, seals, sea lions, and other wild and domestic animals such as foxes, bears, otters, raccoons, cats, dogs, cows, and goats.
Nearly all reported cases of H5N1 virus infection in humans have resulted from close contact with infected live or deceased birds, or environments contaminated by H5N1, such as live bird markets. There have been rare occurrences of transmission from infected mammals to humans as well.
Although some infections may have gone unnoticed, current understanding suggests that the virus does not readily infect humans or spread between individuals.
