CALGARY- The person who died from H5N1—better known as avian flu—was a woman in her late 20s, Global News has confirmed.
On Wednesday, health officials announced that an Albertan who was recently in China died after becoming ill with the virus. She travelled to China in December, and flew from Beijing to Vancouver to Edmonton on December 27.
She was admitted to hospital on New Year’s Day, and died on January 3.
“This is a very rare and isolated case,” said Dr. James Talbot, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Avian influenza is not easily transmitted from person to person. It is not the same virus that is currently present in seasonal influenza in Alberta.”
The two people who were travelling with the woman so far have not tested positive for H5N1, and officials are working to contact everyone on the Air Canada flights—but do not believe anyone else is at risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is now working to determine the woman’s activities leading up to when she contracted the disease, which doctors say can progress rapidly.
She adds that the WHO is still waiting for more information about the woman’s medical history, so they can learn more about when and where she might have contracted H5N1. They then plan to alert Chinese authorities so they can conduct an investigation into the source of the infection.
H5N1, commonly known as avian flu does not usually infect humans, targeting domestic poultry in parts of Asia and the Middle East instead. However, there were 38 human cases reported last year, resulting in 24 deaths.
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