Man dies from bird flu in Mexico: Will there be a bird flu pandemic among humans?

The World Health Organization reports that a man in Mexico has died from bird flu, the first known death of a human from the virus.

The unidentified 59-year-old was infected by a strain not previously seen in humans. The health body said the man had suffered from shortness of breath, fever, diarrhea, and nausea a week before he succumbed to his symptoms on April 24, 2024.

The patient was infected with the avian influenza subtype H5N2, and was the first human reported to have been infected by the H5 virus in Mexico.

The WHO says the man had no exposure to poultry or other animals, and the source of his exposure to the virus is yet unknown.

Are there humans infected with bird flu in the United States?

In the U.S., Michigan health officials had announced two weeks ago that a farmworker regularly exposed to livestock was infected with bird flu. This was the second case of human infection by the virus in the United States, the first being a dairy worker in Texas who tested positive for avian flu in early April after being exposed to an infected cow.

The Texas and Michigan cases are the first documented transmissions of an avian influenza virus from cow to human, according to the CDC.

The strain of bird flu known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) is spreading across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “H5N1 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows.”

The CDC continues to deal with the public health challenges brought about by the outbreak, including concerns that it can affect dairy products and eggs.

READ ALSO: Traces bird flu found in grocery store milk: Is it safe to drink

Will there be a bird flu pandemic among humans?

The latest cases of people infected with bird flu are causing concern that the virus will spread among humans, but public health officials say that the transmission of the virus among people has not yet been detected. Scientists believe the virus has to mutate further to become easily transmissible among humans.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, bird flu does not pose an imminent risk of a pandemic at the moment. However, experts are worried that a lack of transparency could mean that there may be other cases of infections that the public does not know about.

In the case of transmission from animals, this lack of information could stem from farmers not wanting people to enter their property to collect samples, concerns that some workers may have immigration status issues, among other factors.

READ ALSO: Bird flu spreads in the US: Is it safe to eat eggs?

Low risk of bird flu pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flue to be low and low-to-moderate for people exposed to infected animals. However, more information is needed on avian influenza subtype H5N2, which is what caused the death in Mexico.

The WHO reports that “since 2021, there have been 28 reported cases in humans, although no human-to-human transmission has been documented.”

The CDC also reassures that the spread of bird flu viruses from one infected person to another they have come into close contact with is very rare. The health agency says that when this has happened, it has not led to continued spread among people.