A person has died after contracting a strain of bird flu never confirmed in humans before, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
The virus was detected in a 59-year-old in Mexico City, Mexico, who was taken to hospital after developing a fever, shortness of breath and diarrhoea on April 17.
They died just one week later.
‘This is the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus reported globally,’ WHO said in a report, referring to the H5N2 strain of the virus sweeping poultry and dairy farms.
‘Based on available information, WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by this virus as low,’ the UN health agency added.
The victim had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals, WHO said, and had several underlying medical conditions.
H5N2 is one of several deadly strains of avian influenza, otherwise called bird flu, that have raised concerns among health officials and farmers.
It is among the most virulent, having been known to leap from one or two birds to entire flocks within 24 to 48 hours.
The strain had recently been detected in poultry in Mexico.
A different bird flu strain known as H5N1 has been a top concern for officials given that mutations acquired last year allow it to jump from birds to cows.
Cases of H5N1 leapfrogging to humans have been recorded in the past, WHO said, but this is the first instance of H5N2 doing so.
People catching bird flu isn’t something to be too shocked about, the agency said.
‘Whenever avian influenza viruses are circulating in poultry, there is a risk for infection and small clusters of human cases due to exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments,’ the report said.
‘Therefore, sporadic human cases are not unexpected.’
No need to raise any alarms either, WHO stressed. No further human cases of infection with H5N2 have been recorded and the ‘current likelihood of sustained human-to-human spread is low’.
‘Based on the available information, WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by this virus to be low,’ the report said.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
MORE : Map reveals measles hotspots after outbreaks across Europe
MORE : Most fridges are unsafe – what temperature should yours be?
MORE : Rumours that sperm counts are falling ‘is a load of balls’
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.