The World Health Organization confirms the first death from bird flu in Mexico
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed this Wednesday the first human death from avian flu in the world, which was detected in a laboratory in Mexico at the end of May. The victim died on April 24. At the moment, the source of exposure in this particular case is unknown, although Mexican authorities have assured that there is no risk of widespread contagion.
Details about the case
The victim is a 59-year-old man who had developed symptoms such as fever, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, nausea and general malaise. On April 24 he was hospitalized in a medical center for respiratory diseases in the capital of the American country, Mexico City, and the same day he died ‘from complications of suffering.’ A month later, a Mexican laboratory confirmed that the death had occurred due to this virus. At this time, the source of exposure to the virus is unknown, nor have any more human cases of this infection associated with this case been detected.
Risk for the population
The WHO has indicated that this virus poses a ‘current low risk’ for the general population, although it has stated that, if necessary, it will review the risk assessment. Between March and April, several outbreaks of this virus were detected in poultry farms both in the state of Michoacán and in Mexico. However, it has not been possible to establish whether the human case is related to these outbreaks in poultry.
Statements from Mexican authorities
In Mexico, on April 5, the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service declared the country a zone free of AH5N2 avian flu and said that the virus had been absent for more than 25 years, because the last corroborated case in commercial production dated June 5, 1995. The Mexican authorities spoke out yesterday, after the case of death from bird flu became known, and assured that ‘there is no risk of contagion for the population.’
International context
The case is reported after the H5N1 avian flu virus has spread in recent weeks among dairy cows in the United States, Mexico’s neighbor. And although three cases have been reported in humans in the country so far this year, U.S. health authorities have clarified that none of the infections are related to the outbreak of the virus in cows. In this case, the virus, identified as H5N1, is a subtype of avian flu that is highly contagious among birds.
