Results for: Human Infection

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the first human fatality from the H5N2 variant of bird flu. The patient, a 59-year-old Mexican with underlying health conditions, passed away on April 24th after experiencing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and nausea. The WHO emphasizes that the patient had no known exposure to poultry or other animals. The source of the infection remains unknown, despite reported H5N2 outbreaks among poultry in Mexico’s Michoacan and State of Mexico regions. The WHO assesses the risk to humans as low, noting that no human-to-human transmission has been detected, unlike the H5N1 variant that has affected dairy cows and a limited number of humans in the United States.

Health authorities in the United States have reported a second case of human bird flu infection, this time in Michigan. The infected individual, a farmworker, had regular exposure to livestock that had contracted bird flu. After experiencing symptoms, the patient was tested and confirmed to have the A(H5) virus. Despite the diagnosis, the farmworker has since recovered. Health officials emphasize that the risk of contracting bird flu for the general public remains low.