WHO confirms first human death from H5N2 variant bird flu in Mexico

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that Mexico has reported the first confirmed human fatality globally due to infection with the H5N2 variant of bird flu.

The patient, who died on April 24 after developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea and nausea, had “no history of exposure to poultry or other animals” and “multiple underlying medical conditions”, the WHO said.

Mexican health authorities reported the confirmed case of human infection with the virus to the UN health body on May 23, after a 59-year-old was taken to hospital in Mexico City.

Also Read: Cricketer R Ashwin’s autobiography to hit stands on June 10

First Confirmed Human Case of H5N2 Bird Flu in Mexico

The WHO said the case was the “first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus reported globally”.

The source of exposure to the virus was unknown, the WHO said, although cases of H5N2 have been reported in poultry in the country.

According to the UN health body, H5N2 cases affected poultry in the state of Michoacan in March, with other outbreaks identified in the State of Mexico.

But it said establishing a link between the human case and the poultry infections was so far impossible, estimating the risk to people as “low”.

A different variant of bird flu, H5N1, has been spreading for weeks among dairy cow herds in the United States, with a small number of cases reported among humans.

But authorities have said that none of the cases are human-to-human infections, with the disease jumping from cattle to people.

Also Read: Rs 2,000 Banknotes Worth Rs 7,755 Crore Still With Public: RBI