First fatal case of bird flu in North America reported in Alberta
Canadian Press and Postmedia News | January 8, 2014 | Last Updated: Jan 8 5:26 PM ET
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldDeputy Chief Public Health Officer Gregory Taylor speaks during an announcement, Wednesday January 8, 2014 in Ottawa. Officials announced the first reported death in North America from H5N1 bird flu.
Alberta H5N1 victim had recently travelled to China before shortly death: Health Minister
OTTAWA — Federal public health officials say a fatal case of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Canada, the first such case in North America.
Health Minister Rona Ambrose says the case, which was located in Alberta, was an isolated one and that the risk to the general public is very low.
“The risk of getting H5N1 is very low,” Ambrose told a hastily assembled news conference in Ottawa via conference call.
“This case is not part of the seasonal flu, which circulates in Canada every year.”
The H5N1 strain is unrelated to the seasonal flu outbreak, Ambrose added.
Officials say the H5N1 strain is unrelated to the seasonal flu outbreak.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldHealth Minister Rona Ambrose
The victim was apparently travelling from China when symptoms first appeared and later died in hospital. The person got on a plane from Beijing to Vancouver on AirCanada 030 on December 27 and began feeling sick, then continued from Vancouver to Edmonton on Air Canada flight 244, also on December 27. The person was admitted to hospital on Jan. 1 and then died Jan. 3.
Officials say that while they don’t know how the virus was contracted, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
The World Health Organization says that as of mid-December, there had been 648 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 flu, reported from 15 countries. Of that total, 384 infections have been fatal.
There have been no travel restrictions implemented.
They say that while it remains unclear how the person contracted the virus, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
“The health system did everything it could for this individual, and our thoughts are with the family at this time,” Ambrose said.
Dr. James Talbot, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said that family members of the victim are being monitored and treated with medication, nothing that there’s nothing to indicate they are sick.
The health system did everything it could for this individual, and our thoughts are with the family at this time
“Public health has followed up with all close contacts of this individual and offered Tamiflu as a precaution,” Talbot said.
“None of them have symptoms and the risk of developing symptoms is extremely low. Precautions for health care staff were also taken as part of this individual’s hospital treatment.”
Dr. Gregory Taylor, deputy chief public health officer for Canada, said “this is the first and only confirmed case of H5N1 in North America.”
Canada’s national microbiology lab in Winnipeg received specimens on Tuesday. “Last night lab results confirmed this was H5N1,” Taylor said.
The patient’s family is not showing any signs of illness, he said.
Officials are contacting passengers on the two Air Canada flights to reassure them that the risk to the public is low.
The World Health Organization says that as of mid-December, there had been 648 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 flu since 2003, reported from 15 countries. Of that total, 384 infections have been fatal.
In 2013, there were 38 worldwide cases of H5N1, 24 of which were fatal.
Officials are not, at this time, revealing the identity of the patient or the hospital where the person was treated.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldDeputy Chief Public Health Officer Gregory Taylor, Dr. Howard Ngou(left) and Dr.Theresa Tam (right) take questions during an announcement Wednesday January 8, 2014 in Ottawa.
To contract H5N1 a person has to come into direct contact with dead or infected birds or bird feces, usually during butchering, defeathering or food preparation.
You cannot catch the virus by eating infected poultry or eggs if the food is properly cooked.
The virus does not easily spread between humans.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says one of the greatest risks for humans to contract H5N1 in Canada comes from backyard chicken flocks, if the flocks are infected with the virus.
Between September 2013 and Christmas (latest figures available) there were poultry-based outbreaks in Nepal, Vietnam, Mexico, Italy and Australia.
Since 2003, there have been 641 cases of H5N1 worldwide, causing 380 deaths. Most of the fatalities have been in Indonesia, Egypt and Vietnam.
About 60 per cent of people infected by H5N1 die.
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