First recorded case of bird flu in a human detected in Chile

Chile has announced their first ever case of bird flu in a human.

The country’s health ministry reported yesterday a 53-year-old man, who presented with severe influenza symptoms, had contracted the infection.

He remains in a stable condition in hospital.

The country’s government are now investigating and trying to locate people who the patient has been in direct contact with.

Chile has reported cases of bird flu in wild animals since late last year.

Cases have also spread in industrial farms – forcing the government to halt its poultry exports.

The World Health Organization said last month they were ‘worried’ about bird flu after an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia died from the H521 variant.

The girl from the Prey Veng province just east of the capital, Phnom Penh, was diagnosed with bird flu after suffering a high fever on February 16.

Health minister Mam Bunhen said the child’s health declined and she was transferred to a children’s hospital in Phnom Penh but died the following week.

Dr Sylvie Briand, the director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said: ‘The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world and the increasing reports of cases in mammals including humans.

‘WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries.’

Health experts, however, have long stressed the risk of bird flu for humans is very low.

While it’s not impossible for a human to become infected, it’s very rare.

There have been more than 450 bird flu cases in humans since 2003, according to the WHO.

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