Canada Probes Suspected Avian Flu Infection in Hospitalized Teen

By Lisa Schnirring

Over the weekend, British Columbia (BC) health officials reported a presumptive positive H5 avian flu infection in a teenager from the Fraser Valley who is hospitalized, which, if confirmed by Canada’s National Microbiology Lab, would mark the country's first locally acquired case.

In a statement, the BC government said an investigation is under way to determine how the patient was exposed, though the source is likely to be an animal or a bird. So far no other illnesses have been reported in the patient's contacts.

Bonnie Henry, MD, BC's health officer, said, "This is a rare event, and while it is the first detected case of H5 in a person in B.C. or in Canada, there have been a small number of human cases in the U.S. and elsewhere, which is why we are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in B.C."

Recent outbreaks at BC poultry farms

Since early October, at least 22 avian flu outbreaks have been reported in BC poultry, along with several detections in wild birds in the province. Officials said most previous outbreaks in BC birds have occurred during migration season, which is under way along the Pacific flyway. 

Similar outbreaks in poultry have recently been reported in the western United States, including in Washington, Oregon, and California. Since the middle of October, health officials in Washington state have reported 11 confirmed and 3 probable infections in poultry cullers who were part of the response to recent outbreaks on commercial farms.

Canada hasn't reported any outbreaks in dairy cattle and no H5 detections in milk.

In 2014, Canada reported an H5N1 death involving a citizen who had recently returned from a visit to China.

More H5N1 in US dairy cattle, poultry

Since its last update on November 9 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed 18 more outbreaks on California dairy farms, raising the state's total to 277. The latest additions push the national total on dairy farms to 291 across 15 states.

Also, APHIS confirmed one more detection in US poultry, which involves a backyard flock in Washington's Snohomish County that has 170 birds.

In other avian flu developments, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on November 8 updated its recommendations for farm workers and employers, including information on personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce exposure to avian flu. The CDC posted its updates following new findings last week that shed more light on asymptomatic infections and gaps in PPE use on affected farms.