B.C. doctor reflects on treating teen with H5N1 for 2 months

A recent case of avian flu in a 13-year-old patient in British Columbia has raised concerns about the potential for more human infections of H5N1. The young patient was treated by Dr. David Goldfarb, a medical microbiologist and pediatric infectious disease physician at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

The patient’s two-month ordeal was closely examined to better understand how avian flu can be transmitted from wild birds and poultry to humans, resulting in severe illness. Goldfarb initially saw the patient on Nov. 8 when she presented with respiratory distress. Despite initial tests coming back negative for influenza, Goldfarb suspected avian flu due to symptoms like pink eye and arranged for urgent testing for H5N1. The test came back positive, marking the first human case of H5N1 in Canada.

The medical team treating the patient included dozens of specialists, and public health officials worked to determine how she was infected. The source of the infection remains unknown. The patient received antiviral treatment and was placed on life support due to respiratory distress. After weeks of intensive care, her condition gradually improved, and she was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 7.

Researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control are comparing the genetic features of the patient’s avian flu strain with that of a patient in Louisiana who recently died. Both strains share a genetic mutation that experts believe could make the virus more easily transmissible between humans. While there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the B.C. case, the mutation is concerning as it could potentially lead to increased transmissibility in the future.

Avian flu has historically been more prevalent in Asia and Africa, but recent cases in North America, including the U.S. and Canada, highlight the spread of the virus through wild bird migration. The CDC has reported cases of H5N1 in humans and detected the virus in thousands of wild birds. In Canada, over 3,400 positive samples of avian flu have been confirmed in wildlife.

The case of the 13-year-old patient in British Columbia serves as a reminder of the potential threat of avian flu to human health. Continued vigilance and research are essential to understanding and preventing the spread of this virus.