Man in Mexico died from a strain of bird flu that had not previously been confirmed in a human, says WHO

WASHINGTON – The death of a man in Mexico was caused by a strain of bird flu called H5N2 that has never before been found in a human, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The WHO said it was unclear how the man became infected, although H5N2 has been reported in birds in Mexico.

There are several types of bird flu. H5N2 is not the same strain as infected several herds of dairy cows in the USA This strain is called H5N1 and three rural workers contracted mild infections.

Other strains of bird flu have killed people around the world in previous years, including 18 people in China during an H5N6 outbreak in 2021, according to a timeline of bird flu outbreaks in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mexican health officials alerted the WHO that a 59-year-old man who died in a Mexico City hospital had the virus despite having no known exposure to poultry or other animals.

According to family members, according to the WHO statement, the patient was bedridden for unrelated reasons before developing fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea on April 17. Mexico’s public health department said in a statement that he had underlying conditions, including chronic kidney failure. , diabetes and high blood pressure.

Hospital care was sought on April 24 and the man died the same day.

Initial tests showed an unidentified strain of flu that subsequent weeks of laboratory testing confirmed was H5N2.

The WHO said the risk to people in Mexico is low and that no other human cases have been discovered so far, despite testing people who had contact with the deceased at home and in hospital.

There were three outbreaks of H5N2 in poultry in nearby parts of Mexico in March, but authorities were unable to find a connection. Mexican authorities also monitor birds near a shallow lake on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Whenever avian influenza circulates in birds, there is a risk that people in close contact with flocks will become infected. Health authorities are watching for any signs that viruses are evolving to spread easily from person to person, and experts are concerned that more mammal species will contract the bird flu virus.

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