The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a man’s death in Mexico resulted from a strain of bird flu, identified as H5N2 , which had never previously affected humans. On Wednesday, the WHO stated that although A(H5N2) viruses had been detected in poultry in Mexico, the source of the individual’s exposure to the virus remained unclear.
Scientists remain vigilant for any mutations in the virus that might indicate its adaptation for easier transmission among humans.
The deceased, a 59-year-old man hospitalized in Mexico City, passed away on April 24th, displaying symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea, and general discomfort. According to Mexico’s health ministry, there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu in his case, and all individuals who had contact with him have tested negative.
In March, Mexico reported an outbreak of A(H5N2) within an isolated family unit in the western state of Michoacan. At the time, authorities assured that this outbreak posed no threat to distant commercial farms or human health. Following the man’s death in April, Mexican authorities confirmed the virus’s presence and promptly notified the WHO.
Despite three poultry outbreaks of H5N2 in nearby areas of Mexico in March, authorities have struggled to establish any connections between them. Notably, the case in Mexico is distinct from the outbreak of a different strain, H5N1, in the United States, which has infected three dairy farm workers thus far.
Various strains of bird flu have caused fatalities worldwide in previous years, including an outbreak of H5N6 in China in 2021 that claimed 18 lives.
