Canada's First Presumptive Human Case of Avian Influenza Identified in Teenager

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A teenager is in critical condition at a hospital in the Canadian province of British Columbia, becoming Canada's first reported human case of avian influenza.

According to provincial health officer Bonnie Henry, the 16-year-old had no underlying medical conditions before falling ill. "This was a healthy teenager prior to this," she said during a news conference on Tuesday. "It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness."

Henry announced that the patient developed symptoms on November 2, including conjunctivitis, fever, and coughing, which prompted a test on November 8 when they were admitted to hospital. The teenager's condition has since worsened to acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Health officials have identified three dozen contacts who have been tested so far, with no one found to be infected. Henry emphasized that there is currently no evidence of easy human transmission, but if the virus spreads between people, a pandemic could unfold. "We're extremely vigilant about this," she said.

Earlier in November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had requested testing for farm workers exposed to animals with bird flu, even if they don't display symptoms. Bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms across 15 states in the US since March, and 46 human cases have been reported since April.

In Canada, British Columbia health officials have identified at least 26 affected premises across the province and numerous wild birds have tested positive for the virus. Notably, there are no reported cases of bird flu in dairy cattle or milk samples.

The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that while H5N1 carries a low risk to humans due to the lack of evidence for human transmission, its spread through various animal populations is becoming more widespread.

Henry expressed concern over the rapid progression of illness in young people and urged caution. "This just reminds us of how serious this can be," she said.