Canadian health officials in press conference said there’s a death of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Canada. The victim suspected to get the disease from Asia as she was travelling from China.
Health Minister, Rona Ambrose said that the case in Alberta was an isolated one that the risk to public is very low. The reports from CTV News said that the woman began to feel ill on a flight to Canada from Beijing on Dec 27.
| H5N1 : What you should know about Bird Flu |
The China government health department said that it was the first case of H5N1 circulating in Beijing and the government is looking into it. Deputy chief health officer Canada said that the victim only visited Beijing in China and not travel to a farm or visit market.
Dr. Nikki Shindo, WHO medical officer told CTV that the news is ‘substantial’ since it’s the first case in North America and their agency is awaiting samples of the virus for testing.
Expertise have been closely watching the H5N1 bird flu virus as it remains hard to catch with most human infections linked to contact with infected poultry. The scientist also fear if the virus could mutate and spread rapidly among people, potentially sparking a pandemic.
Source :- CBS News