The World Health Organization confirmed its first fatal case of a new strain of bird flu infecting humans.
The victim – a 59-year-old man from Mexico City – had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals. He had multiple underlying conditions and was bedridden for other reasons in the three weeks prior to his death, his relatives said, according to the WHO.
The victim first experienced fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and nausea on April 17. On April 24, he was admitted to the hospital, where he died the same day.
A respiratory sample sent to a lab after his death confirmed he was positive for the H5N2 strain of bird flu, the organization announced Wednesday.
Seventeen people the victim came into contact with at the hospital tested negative, however one person experienced a runny nose. Seven symptomatic and five asymptomatic contacts near the victim's home also tested negative for the virus.
In March, a "high pathogenicity avian influenza A H5N2 outbreak" was detected at a poultry farm in Michoacán, which borders the State of Mexico where the victim was living, the WHO said. However scientists are still trying to determine how the victim became infected.
Currently, there are no specific vaccines developed to prevent an H5 virus infection in humans.
Although the event "has the potential for high public health impact... WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by this virus as low."
