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The teen who tested positive for bird flu is in critical condition and being treated for acute respiratory distress at BC Children's Hospital, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.
Henry says the teen, the first suspected human case of bird flu contracted in Canada, was hospitalized late Friday.
Their conditions “varied” over the weekend, Henry said, adding “our thoughts remain with this individual and his family.”
Henry said ongoing work to confirm the diagnosis and track down potential sources of exposure through the BC Center for Disease Control had given her “confidence” that the teen has H5 bird flu, also known as bird flu.
British Columbia health officials said Saturday they are investigating what is believed to be the first human case of bird flu contracted in Canada after a teenager tested suspected positive for the disease. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist, explains what this means and what precautions people can take.
She says it is likely the teen contracted the disease through exposure to an animal or the environment, although there is a “very real possibility” the source will never be found.
Henry said privacy concerns limit what can be said publicly about the teen, but said he or she had no underlying medical conditions.
The teenager first went to the emergency department on November 2 and was tested and sent home, but returned to the hospital days later when symptoms worsened.
Henry said contact tracing has been conducted on 35 to 40 relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teen.
“We have not identified anyone else in B.C. who is sick with the virus at this time,” she said. “We don't see at the moment that there is a risk of many people becoming ill.”
She said the teenager did not attend school during the contagious period of the disease, which began roughly on October 31, two days before the onset of symptoms.
She said the teen has no ties to people who have recently traveled to Southeast Asia, where outbreaks have occurred.
According to Henry, the teenager did not have any contact with birds, but did have contact with a variety of other animals – including a dog, cats and reptiles – in the days before he became ill. Henry said testing on those animals has so far been negative for the virus.
No detected link with outbreaks on poultry farms
She said no link has been found between the teen farms and local farms — including the 20 poultry farms in B.C. that have suffered bird flu outbreaks during the fall migration of wild birds. No links have been found to outbreaks occurring across the border in Washington state, she added.
Henry said the case is still being called “presumptive positive” because it needs to be confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, which could happen later on Tuesday.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Brian Conway, said the virus can spread through direct contact with a sick animal, as was the case among livestock workers in the US.
'There are forty or so [human] cases that have occurred in the United States involving dairy cattle,” he said.
