The Mexican authorities believe the guy who had a rare human case of bird flu really died from other co-morbidities, according to confirmation from the World Health Organization on Friday.
The WHO announced on June 5 that a 59-year-old patient had perished from avian influenza, also known as bird flu, with the H5N2 strain. It was the first-ever case in Mexico and the first-ever laboratory-confirmed human case of the H5N2 strain to be published worldwide.
The strain of avian flu that is currently circulating in American animals is not the same as this one. Infections have affected three dairy workers in the United States, but they have all recovered.
Although the WHO stated that the patient simply tested positive for bird flu, not that he had died of bird flu, Mexican Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer Varela disputed the WHO’s claim after the initial release, claiming the guy died of a different illness.
According to the most recent update from the WHO, Mexican health officials determined that the man’s co-morbidities were the cause of his death.
“A national multidisciplinary group of experts was formed to investigate the cause of death. It included infectious disease specialists, pneumonologists, microbiologists and intensive care professionals,” according to WHO. “Upon review of the patient’s clinical history and records, the national multidisciplinary team concluded on 6 June that, although the patient had a laboratory-confirmed infection with avian influenza A(H5N2) virus, he died due to complications of his co-morbidities.”
Furthermore, according to the WHO, the strain’s genetic examination by national authorities revealed 99% resemblance to the strain detected in birds in the Mexican state of Texcoco this year.
The WHO reports that the patient from Mexico had no prior history of contact with chickens or other animals. A viral outbreak in chicken has been occurring in Mexico.
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The patient experienced fever, nausea, diarrhea, dyspnea, and general malaise on April 17. He passed away the same day after being admitted to the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City on April 24.
According to the patient’s family, he had been bedridden for three weeks before getting avian flu for unspecified reasons, according to the WHO.
On May 23, Mexican officials notified the WHO of the human case.
The WHO reports that no new cases have been reported during the course of health officials’ inquiry. The patient’s interactions with everyone at home and in the hospital resulted in negative influenza virus tests.
Millions of birds and elderly dairy cows have been reported to become unwell due to an H5N1 strain outbreak in the United States. Three farmworkers in the United States have fallen ill thus far; two in Texas and one in Michigan.
All three of them recovered despite having minor symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that there is no risk to the general public and that there is no proof of human-to-human transmission.
