A British Columbia (BC) teen from the Fraser Health region who was hospitalized with an earlier announced presumptive positive H5 avian flu infection is in critical condition, the province's top health official said today.
In a media briefing streamed live on Canada's Global News, Bonnie Henry, MD, BC's health officer, shared the latest investigation findings, noting that the patient's symptoms began on November 2, and he or she was seen that day at a hospital emergency room. She said initial symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever, and cough.
After symptoms worsened, the patient was hospitalized at BC Children's Hospital on the evening of November 8. Henry said the patient, who doesn't have underlying health conditions, is experiencing acute respiratory distress and has received intravenous antiviral treatment. She added that the patient was tested for flu and other respiratory viruses as part of routine illness surveillance.
Though people infected with H5 avian flu in the United States over the past several months have had mild symptoms, Henry said health officials worry that the disease might be more severe in younger people. She noted that early scientific findings suggest that adults who have been exposed to earlier H1N1 seasonal flu viruses might have some partial protection against the current H5 strain.
About 36 people tested so far
Henry said the investigation involves painstaking and challenging work, and she praised the patient's family for their help at a time when they are grappling with a critical illness in a loved one. She cautioned, however, that there's a chance that investigators will not be able to determine how the teen contracted the virus.
So far, no other infections have been reported in the patient's contacts. Henry said about 36 people have been tested and that the patient had not been in school during the infectious period. Contacts have been offered oseltamivir (Tamiflu) for prophylactic (preventive) use.
Investigators are still working to determine how the patient was exposed to the virus, she said, reiterating that animal exposure is likely, though an environmental source is also possible.
Probe into other animal exposures, virus features
Though about 25 avian flu outbreaks have recently been reported in British Columbia poultry, the patient doesn’t have any connections to an affected farm or to poultry. He or she was exposed to family pets and pets in other homes, which included dogs, cats, and reptiles, Henry said.
One dog was sick, but tests were negative, she said, adding that investigations into potential animal sources are still under way.
Confirmation testing is still under way at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Henry said scientists will be working to further characterize the virus, including determining the neuraminidase (the "N" portion of the virus name), the clade, and the genotype. Henry also added that wastewater monitoring in BC has been undertaken, though the method can't determine if the source is from an animal or a human.
