Regional health authorities have reported the first human death linked to H5N1 avian influenza in Mexico. The victim was a three-year-old girl who died in the northern state of Coahuila, marking the first and only confirmed case of avian flu in humans within the country.
Eliud Aguirre, Secretary of Health for Coahuila, stated that the child succumbed to multiple organ failure. He confirmed that “no one in her immediate circle or the medical personnel who came into contact with her tested positive” for the virus. Additionally, Aguirre indicated that no other suspected cases of avian flu have been identified in the nation.
This year, two deaths attributed to the H5N1 virus have been reported in Cambodia, while the United States recorded one death in January.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that human infections can result in severe illness with a high mortality rate. The H5N1 strain, first identified in 1997, is among the leading causes of avian influenza cases in humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The WHO assesses that the public health risk to the general population remains low and observes no significant evidence of human-to-human transmission.
