WHO confirms first human death from bird flu

Jun 6

Lauren Taylor Anchor/Reporter

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor/Reporter), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a man from Mexico died from the bird flu, caused by a strain not previously found in humans. The specific strain is called H5N2. According to the WHO, it remains unclear how the 59-year-old man contracted the virus.

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H5N2 has been reported in poultry in Mexico, although the man had not been exposed to poultry or other animals. The victim had multiple underlying medical conditions including diabetes, chronic kidney failure and high blood pressure. His family informed the agency that he had been bedridden for three weeks before developing a fever on April 17.

The man also experienced shortness of breath, diarrhea and nausea, leading to his hospitalization on April 24. Doctors confirmed the illness as avian influenza H5N2.

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People who were in contact with the infected man were all tested, and the results came back negative for bird flu. Notably, this particular strain, H5N2, differs from the strain infecting dairy cow herds, wild birds and poultry flocks across the United States, which is H5N1. H5N1 has been transmitted to three dairy farm workers in the last three months, all of whom suffered mild cases.

Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, emphasized that while the risk to humans is currently low, viruses can change over time.

“The more opportunities we give this virus to grow in different hosts and environments, the higher the risk to humans,” Webby said.

Scientists are actively working on developing an mRNA vaccine for current bird flu strains affecting both cows and humans. This effort aims to prepare for potential mutations that could increase transmissibility and lethality.

WHO maintains its existing recommendations for public health measures and surveillance of influenza.

Tags: Bird Flu, Flu, Livestock, Mexico, World Health Organization

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CONFIRMS – A MAN FROM MEXICO DIED FROM THE BIRD FLU – KILLED BY A STRAIN THAT HAD NOT YET BEEN FOUND IN HUMANS.

THE STRAIN IS CALLED A-H5N2 – AND ACCORDING TO THE W-H-O – IT’S NOT CLEAR HOW THE 59-YEAR-OLD CONTRACTED THE VIRUS.

H5N2 HAS BEEN REPORTED IN POULTRY IN MEXICO – HOWEVER – THE MAN HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO POULTRY OR OTHER ANIMALS.

THE WHO ALSO SAYS – THE VICTIM HAD MULTIPLE UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING DIABETES, CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

HIS FAMILY TOLD THE AGENCY – HE HAD BEEN BEDRIDDEN FOR THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO DEVELOPING A FEVER ON APRIL 17TH.

THE MAN ALSO EXPERIENCED SHORTNESS OF BREATH, DIARRHEA, AND NAUSEA,.AND WAS HOSPITALIZED APRIL 24TH.

DOCTORS CONFIRMED THE ILLNESS TO BE AVIAN INFLUENZA — H5N2.

THE WHO SAYS PEOPLE WHO WERE AROUND THE INFECTED MAN WERE ALL TESTED – AND THE RESULTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE FOR BIRD FLU.

THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN – H5N2 – IS NOT THE SAME STRAIN INFECTING DAIRY COW HERDS, WILD BIRDS, AND POULTRY FLOCKS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

THAT STRAIN IS H5N1 AND HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED TO THREE DAIRY FARM WORKERS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS WHO HAD DIRECT CONTACT WITH LIVESTOCK. ALL THREE OF THOSE FARMWORKERS SUFFERED MILD CASES.

[RICHARD WEBBY]

“Right now this particular virus much prefers to be a bird virus, or I guess in this case even a cow udder virus as well, but, you know, the risk to humans is low. But it’s certainly not zero. And the more opportunity we give this virus to grow in different hosts, to be subjected to different environments — you know, this is a virus, this is a flu virus. And what do viruses do best? They change. So the more opportunities we give this virus to change, then again we do increase the risk to humans. But right now it is low. It’s not a virus that’s very infectious for humans at all.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

AS STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS REPORTED LAST WEEK – SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO DEVELOP AN MRNA VACCINE FOR THE CURRENT BIRD FLU STRAINS FOR BOTH COWS AND HUMANS – IN CASE THE VIRUS MUTATES, BECOMES MORE EASILY TRANSMISSIBLE FROM HUMAN-TO-HUMAN AND MORE DEADLY.

[WEBBY]

“What the COVID-19 pandemic taught us was some of these newer technologies can be used to rapidly prepare vaccines against emerging threats like the H5 virus. And so, you know, the particular work that we’re involved in here with colleagues in Pennsylvania were actually to use that same technology that was used essentially to make a Covid vaccine, but instead of it expressing the SARS coronavirus antigens, it was expressing flu antigens.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

CURRENTLY – THE WHO SAYS THIS CASE DOES NOT CHANGE ITS RECOMMENDATIONS ON PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES AND THE SURVEILLANCE OF INFLUENZA WILL REMAINS THE SAME.

FOR SAN – I’M LT.

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