Mexico man dies from first human case of bird flu, strain H5N2
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the death of a man in Mexico was caused by a bird flu called H5N2, which has never before been found in humans.
The WHO said on Wednesday it was not clear how the person became infected. “Although the source of exposure to the virus in this case is currently unknown, A(H5N2) viruses have been reported in poultry in Mexico,” the WHO said in a statement.
Scientists are alert to changes in the virus that could indicate bird flu is adapting to spread more easily among people.
But the UN agency said on Wednesday that the current risk from the bird flu virus to the general population in Mexico is low.
The 59-year-old man, who had been hospitalized in Mexico City, died on April 24 after developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea and general discomfort, the WHO said.
Mexico’s Health Ministry added in a statement on Wednesday that there has so far been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu in the case of the deceased man, and that he already had several health problems. All people who have had contact with him have tested negative, it said.
In March, the Mexican government reported an outbreak of A(H5N2) in an isolated family unit in the western state of Michoacan, but said at the time it posed no risk to remote commercial farms or to human health.
After the death in April, Mexican authorities confirmed the presence of the virus and reported the case to the WHO, the agency said.
In March, there were three outbreaks of H5N2 in poultry in nearby parts of Mexico, but authorities have been unable to find a link.
Scientists say the case in Mexico is not related to the outbreak of another strain of bird flu – H5N1 – in the United States, which has so far infected three dairy farm workers.
Other types of bird flu have killed people around the world in recent years, including 18 people in China during a 2021 H5N6 outbreak, according to a timeline of bird flu outbreaks from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Andrew Pekosz, an influenza expert at Johns Hopkins University, said that since 1997, H5 viruses have consistently shown a tendency to infect mammals more than any other bird flu virus.
“So it continues to sound the warning bell that we have to be very vigilant in monitoring these infections because any spillover is an opportunity for that virus to try to accumulate those mutations that will allow it to better infect people,” he said.
Cases of bird flu have now been identified in mammals such as seals, raccoons, bears and livestock, mainly due to contact with infected birds.
Australia reported its first human case of A(H5N1) infection in May, noting there were no signs of transmission. However, more cases of H7 bird flu in poultry have been found on farms in Victoria state.
With Reuters and Associated Press