Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza | Don’t panic, say experts

The story of a girl who died of bird flu and her father who contracted the virus in Cambodia has authorities on high alert. Could this be the first documented case of H5N1 transmission between humans? Experts here believe it’s still too early to worry.

Two hypotheses are being studied to explain that two members of the same family contracted avian flu: either they were both in contact with sick birds, or the father caught the virus at the bedside of his daughter from 11 years he was taking care of.

“They may have been exposed to the same environment, and dead birds have been known to be found in [cette région] “, explains the D.^r Jasmin Villeneuve, medical advisor at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec for nosocomial infection files.

“Or did the father turn positive while caring for his very sick daughter? If so, it would be very limited human-to-human transmission,” says Dr.^r Villeneuve.

Twelve people who had contact with the sick girl were tested. Except for the father, all the tests came back negative. The 49-year-old man has no symptoms of the disease, a member of the Cambodian government told AFP. In Cambodia, the last case of bird flu in humans was in 2014.

reassuring signs

This 11-year-old girl who presented symptoms of fever, cough and dry throat is not the first case of bird flu in humans nor the first death. Since 2000, the World Health Organization estimates that 868 people have caught the virus and 457 have died. A single human case of H5N1 was reported in Canada in 2014. The Alberta resident died after returning from a trip to China.

Veterinarian Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, professor at the University of Montreal, is also reassuring. He doubts that the strain of H5N1 that made the child sick is the one found in Canada. Analyzes are underway to determine this.

“For the past fifteen years, we have had five or six strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza which have been able to infect human beings throughout the world. But in any case, none of these viruses managed to adapt to be able to pass between humans,” he notes.

Canada affected

In Canada, the avian flu has made a virulent comeback over the past year. In total, 7,174,000 farm birds had to be euthanized, including 575,000 in Quebec. All provinces have been hit by the pandemic except Prince Edward Island.

Migratory birds carry the virus and most often contaminate the environment with their droppings. The disease has also been diagnosed in Canada in mammals such as skunks, raccoons, seals, black bears and foxes.

However, veterinarian Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt asserts that consumers run no risk by consuming poultry purchased from a food store if basic hygiene instructions are followed. “People who have a barnyard, slaughterhouse and livestock workers should wash their hands very often, especially before meals,” he suggests.

On Friday, the WHO reiterated that the risk remains “low” for humans.

The Public Health Agency of Canada states that human infection with H5N1 is rare. “The risk of infection is low for the general public who have only limited contact with infected animals; people with close contact with infected animals are at increased risk and should take appropriate precautions,” wrote a federal agency official who declined to be named.