A fatal case of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Canada, the first such case in North America.
The victim was travelling from China when symptoms first appeared and health minister Rona Ambrose said the case, in Alberta, was an isolated one and the risk to the general public is very low.
Officials said the person began to feel ill on a flight to Canada from Beijing on December 27. They said it was the first case of H5N1 circulating in Beijing and that China is looking into it.
“This is the first evidence of this particular virus circulating in Beijing. Chinese authorities are going to be very interested. We’ve contacted them already,” Dr Gregory Taylor said.
He said the victim only visited Beijing in China. The victim did not travel to a farm or visit markets, he said.
The World Health Organisation says that as of mid-December, there had been 648 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 flu, reported mostly in Asia. Of that total, 384 infections have been fatal.
Health officials do not know how the person contracted the virus
Experts are cautious when it comes to bird flu viruses infecting humans, and have been closely watching the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The virus remains hard to catch with most human infections linked to contact with infected poultry, but scientists fear it could mutate and spread rapidly among people, potentially sparking a pandemic.
Officials declined to release the sex of the victim, who died on Friday. They said they do not know how the person con-tracted the virus.
There is no evidence that anyone else was infected by the victim. Dr James Talbot, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said family members of the victim are being monitored and treated with medication, but noted that there is nothing to indicate they are sick.
He said two companions travelled with the victim but have shown no signs of becoming sick.
“This is not a disease that’s transmitted between humans so unless you were in the infected in the area and were in contact with an infected bird you are not going to get this illness,” Dr Theresa Tam of Health Canada said.