A Canadian teenager is hospitalized in critical condition with bird flu.
He was admitted to a children's hospital in Vancouver the same day he tested positive for H5 influenza, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
The young man's first symptoms, which began a week before he was admitted to hospital, were red eyes, a fever and a cough, epidemiologist Dr Bonnie Henry told the BBC.
The illness has progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS.
This is the first known case of bird flu in humans in Canada
It is not yet known how the teenager caught this strain of flu, which has been circulating widely among wild birds, poultry and some mammals, including cattle in North America since 2022.
"Because this is such a rare and important event, it is key for us to do as thorough an investigation as possible," Henry stressed.
In the United States, 46 cases have already been reported, mostly among farm workers who care for infected animals. All these cases were mild and people recovered from their illnesses after treatment with antiviral drugs. | BGNES
