United States: The bird flu infection has taken a deadly turn as a 15-year-old girl has succumbed to the infection. Amid this crisis, the World Health Organisation, also known as WHO, issued one more warning.
According to the health authorities, the major cause of the outbreak is the H5N1 strain of the virus, which is also responsible for the current chaotic situation across the world. The official data from the health authorities revealed that as many as ten human cases linked to the infection have been reported in the US.
The teenager who lost her life was a resident of Cambodia. The recent death has taken the tally up to 43 deaths in 2024, and the fatality rate of the disease has reached up to 59.7 percent.
The medical reports of the demised girl show that she was dealing with no underlying medical condition.
Accordingly, initially, she was seeking treatment for a normal fever and then was rushed to the hospital, assuming that she had a severe acute respiratory illness. She then developed symptoms like fever, cough, breathing issues, and sore throat. She was treated with the help of anti-virals.
Tragically, just three days later, he passed away. WHO officials reported that there were sightings of “dead poultry” in the village five days before the patient first showed symptoms. The patient’s family had received some of these chickens for consumption, which led to the girl’s exposure while she was preparing food.
While addressing this concern, the World Health Organisation mentioned, “From 2003 to 20 August 2024, a total of 903 human cases of infection of influenza A(H5N1) have been reported globally to WHO from 24 countries, including this case. Almost all cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) have been linked to close contact with A(H5N1)-infected live or dead birds or mammals, or contaminated environments.”
The agency further mentioned, “The public should avoid contact with high-risk environments, such as live animal markets/farms and live poultry or surfaces that might be contaminated by poultry droppings. Additionally, maintaining good hand hygiene through frequent hand washing with soap or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer is recommended.”
“The general public and at-risk individuals should immediately report instances of illness or unexpected deaths in animals to veterinary authorities. Handling sick or unexpectedly dead poultry, including slaughtering and butchering, and preparing such poultry for consumption should be avoided,” the health agency reported.