Investigation into B.C. teen with bird flu finds no new cases, cause still unknown

British Columbia’s provincial health officer says an investigation into the case of a teenager infected with avian flu has found no new cases or evidence of human-to-human transmission, while failing to identify how the teen caught the disease.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says the teenager remains in critical condition with H5N1 bird flu but is stable and has made “some progress” toward recovery.

She says the investigation aimed to identify any contacts who may have had exposure to the teenager and included testing of household pets, birds and other animals from nearby premises, as well as soil and water testing.

The infection announced earlier this month was the first human case of H5N1 avian flu acquired in Canada.

Officials released few details about the teenager, other than saying they were in the region covered by Fraser Health and are getting treatment at BC Children’s Hospital.

The investigation found the infection was not directly related to outbreaks of bird flu at B.C. poultry farms, and genome sequencing of the virus showed it most closely matched that of wild birds found in the Fraser Valley in October.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency lists 62 premises in Canada where poultry flocks are currently infected with highly pathogenic avian flu, with 54 of those in B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press