Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. teen with bird flu is in critical care, infection source unknown: health officer

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Nov, 2024 03:45 PM
  • B.C. teen with bird flu is in critical care, infection source unknown: health officer

The teenager who tested positive for bird flu in British Columbia is in critical condition and being treated at B.C. Children's Hospital, the provincial health officer says. 

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday contact tracing being conducted has not identified anyone else linked to the case of the teen who has fallen ill.

Henry said it's very likely that the infection — the first presumptive human case of avian flu contracted in Canada — was set off by exposure to either a sick animal or something in the environment. 

"Having said that, I must caution that there is a very real possibility we may not ever determine a source," she said. "But at this point, we have a number of leads that we're following, and we will be tracking down every one."

The teen, who lives in the Fraser Health region south of Metro Vancouver, first reported symptoms on Nov. 2 and was admitted to hospital on Nov. 8 as their condition worsened.

Henry said the sick teen was not on a farm, and there are no obvious links or contacts to commercial poultry flocks to quickly determine the exact source of the infection.

B.C. is currently facing another wave of avian flu infections in commercial poultry operations, with Henry saying about 26 premises are currently affected.

Infections among commercial flocks have jumped in recent weeks as migratory birds fly south for winter through the region, which Henry said coincides with the current wave of avian flu infections that is concentrated in the Fraser Valley. 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said about 6.4 million birds in B.C.'s domestic flocks have been impacted by the avian flu since the spring of 2022.

Henry said 12 other people have been tested for avian flu, including medical workers who came into contact with the teen, whose gender has not be disclosed. 

The provincial health officer said that infection in a human — caused by the H5N1 strain of avian influenza — is rare, with the only other case recorded in Canada being in Alberta in 2014 discovered in a person who likely contracted the virus while travelling in China.

Health Canada said that person died from the infection.

Henry said there have been 46 confirmed cases of H5N1 infections in the United States this year, but the vast majority of them were cattle workers in California, Oregon and Washington who were likely infected by the virus being transmitted from birds to dairy cows then to humans.

Infections take place when the virus is inhaled, and Henry said cases show human-to-human transmissions have been rare and infections appear to pose the highest danger to younger people.

"So, what does this mean for most people here in British Columbia? We don't see right now that there's a risk of a lot of people being sick," Henry said. 

"One of the important things that we need to do right now — recognizing that this virus is circulating in wildfowl, so geese and ducks primarily — is to be sure that if you're in contact with sick birds or dead birds, that you don't touch them directly," she added. 

"Keep pets away from them. … There was recently a dog, for example, in Ontario that became infected by eating a dead bird or biting a dead bird. And if the dog becomes infected, they can pass it on to humans as well."

Those who find dead birds on their property are asked to contact the BC Wild Bird Mortality Line, while suspected infections in pets should be treated by a veterinarian or the BC Animal Health Centre.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Surrey police transition deal still in works, less than three weeks before handover

Surrey police transition deal still in works, less than three weeks before handover
The exterior of police stations will soon look different in Surrey. New signs have been ordered to reflect a transfer of policing responsibility to the municipal Surrey Police Service from the RCMP, after six years of planning and political turmoil. 

Surrey police transition deal still in works, less than three weeks before handover

Highway 1 in Burnaby closed after early morning crash sends five to hospital

Highway 1 in Burnaby closed after early morning crash sends five to hospital
Mounties in Burnaby say westbound lanes of Highway 1 near the city have been shut after a multi-vehicle crash. They say just before 3 a.m., officers responded to reports of a five-car collision on the highway, just east of the Kensington Avenue off-ramp.

Highway 1 in Burnaby closed after early morning crash sends five to hospital

Rain, wind warnings issued along B.C. south coast

Rain, wind warnings issued along B.C. south coast
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning along northern sections of east Vancouver Island, with downpours expected to begin this evening as a "vigorous Pacific frontal system" moves over the coast. It says steady rain will begin in the afternoon, intensifying in the evening and is expected to continue into Wednesday.

Rain, wind warnings issued along B.C. south coast

B.C.'s new cabinet to be sworn in Nov. 18 after this week's judicial recounts

B.C.'s new cabinet to be sworn in Nov. 18 after this week's judicial recounts
British Columbia's new cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Nov. 18, almost a month after the provincial election that gave Premier David Eby's New Democrats the slimmest of majorities, pending recounts.

B.C.'s new cabinet to be sworn in Nov. 18 after this week's judicial recounts

Tunnel under Stanley Park coming

Tunnel under Stanley Park coming
The Metro Vancouver regional district says construction will begin this month on a new 1.4-kilometre-long water supply tunnel deep under Stanley Park. A statement from the district says the tunnel will replace a water main that was built in the 1930s with work expected to stretch into 2029.

Tunnel under Stanley Park coming

B.C. business groups urge end to port lockout as labour dispute halts shipping

B.C. business groups urge end to port lockout as labour dispute halts shipping
British Columbia's businesses leaders are urging port employers and more than 700 unionized workers to resolve their dispute immediately as a lockdown paralyzes shipping along Canada's west coast. The BC Maritime Employers Association says no negotiations are scheduled a day after it launched what it calls a defensive lockout against members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514.

B.C. business groups urge end to port lockout as labour dispute halts shipping