Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Lab confirms Canada's first case of avian flu infection in humans in B.C.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 13 Nov, 2024 04:39 PM
  • Lab confirms Canada's first case of avian flu infection in humans in B.C.

Canada's Public Health Agency has confirmed that a British Columbia teenager hospitalized last Friday is the country's first ever human case of domestically acquired avian flu.

The agency said in a statement Wednesday that testing at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg confirms the teen did contract the H5N1 avian flu, the same strain related to viruses found in B.C. flocks in an ongoing outbreak at poultry farms.

The teenage patient was said to be in critical condition on Tuesday after being admitted days before to B.C. Children's Hospital, and a spokesman from the office of B.C.'s provincial health officer said Wednesday that they are not aware of any change to that status.

"Our heart goes out to the teenager who is sick," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"It's just a reminder that H5N1 can cause a range of illnesses all the way from asymptomatic to severe outcomes, and that we need to take this virus seriously, even if it's a sort of zoonotic transmission from animal to human because it can cause a severe outcome in the individual who's infected," Tam said. 

The public health agency said it was notified by B.C. health authorities on Saturday that the teenager tested presumptive positive for the avian flu, and Tam said field epidemiologists are looking at potential sources for the teen's exposure. 

The investigation "could take some time," she said, because they haven't been able to directly ask the teenager about where they might have become infected.

"We are unable to speak to the patient because the patient is quite sick," Tam said. "And so, I think some of the information is necessarily second-hand from the family members.

"The good news is up to now, none of the close contacts like family members have tested positive.”

A statement from the agency added that Canadians "must remain vigilant" in the fight to prevent the spread of avian flu between animals and humans.

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at the news conference Tuesday that the teen, who is from the Fraser Health region, was "experiencing acute respiratory distress" while at B.C. Children's Hospital.

The teen did not have any pre-existing conditions that would explain the severity of the illness, and Henry said the patient did not live on a farm or have contact with commercial poultry flocks. The source of the infection may never be found, she said. 

There was one previous case of avian flu in humans in Canada in 2014 in Alberta. The infected person eventually died. Health officials determined in that case that the victim likely contracted the virus while travelling in China.

B.C.'s commercial poultry sector has been damaged by avian flu outbreaks in recent years, with about 6.4 million birds in domestic flocks having been culled since the spring of 2022.

Most of the outbreaks reported in the last few months in B.C. have been in the Fraser Valley, located within the Fraser Health region.

MORE National ARTICLES

No strike notice so far as talks continue between Canada Post and workers' union

No strike notice so far as talks continue between Canada Post and workers' union
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers could have been in a legal strike position as of Sunday, after a cooling-off period in the contract talks ended the day before, but has yet to issue a strike notice. The union said Friday that a notice could still be issued "at any time" if talks break down. 

No strike notice so far as talks continue between Canada Post and workers' union

Party leaders condemn violence at Hindu temple in Brampton amid India consular visit

Party leaders condemn violence at Hindu temple in Brampton amid India consular visit
India's high commission in Canada is condemning violence that erupted Sunday as Indian consular officials visited a Hindu temple in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. Videos circulating on social media appear to show demonstrators holding banners in support of a separate Sikh country called Khalistan clashing with others, including some holding India's national flag.

Party leaders condemn violence at Hindu temple in Brampton amid India consular visit

B.C. port employers to launch lockout at terminals as labour disruption begins

B.C. port employers to launch lockout at terminals as labour disruption begins
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began. The BC Maritime Employers Association says the lockout will begin on the 4:30 p.m. shift and continue until further notice but will not affect grain or cruise operations.

B.C. port employers to launch lockout at terminals as labour disruption begins

The hallways look the same and where are the bathrooms, say B.C.'s newly elected MLAs

The hallways look the same and where are the bathrooms, say B.C.'s newly elected MLAs
A record number of first-time provincial politicians are about to descend on British Columbia's legislature, looking to make positive contributions for the province and trying to find the washrooms in the 127-year-old building. Fifty-seven new members from three parties, New Democrats, B.C. Conservatives and Greens, were elected to serve first terms in the 93-seat legislature in B.C. last month. 

The hallways look the same and where are the bathrooms, say B.C.'s newly elected MLAs

Poilievre asks premiers to axe their sales taxes on new homes worth under $1 million

Poilievre asks premiers to axe their sales taxes on new homes worth under $1 million
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has written to the provinces' premiers, asking them to eliminate their sales taxes on new homes that are under $1 million. It follows Poilievre's own pledge last week that if he becomes prime minister, he will axe the federal sales tax on new homes sold for under $1 million.

Poilievre asks premiers to axe their sales taxes on new homes worth under $1 million

Trucking, construction expect 'labour crisis' with new temporary worker rules

Trucking, construction expect 'labour crisis' with new temporary worker rules
Dominique Lamothe said the trucking firm she works for will be in trouble once new rules for high-wage temporary foreign workers take effect on Friday. Groupe Nadeau, a Quebec-based trucking company, has a fleet of around 200 trucks and 1,400 trailers serviced by 70 full-time heavy mechanics. Human resources director Lamothe said half those mechanics are temporary foreign workers.

Trucking, construction expect 'labour crisis' with new temporary worker rules