In California, an American child, having been infected with the avian flu virus (H5N1), presented mild symptoms.
- In Alameda County, the first child who tested positive for bird flu and had mild upper respiratory symptoms was given antiviral medications and is recovering from the illness.
- At this time, health authorities do not know the cause of this infection, but “public health experts are investigating possible exposure to wild birds.”
- His family members tested negative for bird flu.
On November 19, the California Department of Public Health reported that a case of bird flu was identified in a child in Alameda County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)low levels of the virus were detected in the initial sample taken, indicating that the young patient was likely not contagious to others. Four days later, the child was retested negative, and additional testing showed the child was also positive for respiratory viruses that could be the cause of his cold and fever symptoms. flu.
Health authorities indicated that the child, who presented “mild upper respiratory symptoms”was resting at home after taking antiviral medication for the flu. To this day, no one knows exactly how he became infected. “He has had no known contact with an infected animal, but public health experts are investigating possible exposure to wild birds,” can we read on the website of the California Department of Public Health.
Avian flu: child’s family members tested negative
During the first stage of the investigation, all members of his family, reporting mild respiratory symptoms, were tested to determine if they were contaminated with the H5N1 virus. All results were negative for avian flu, and some were positive for the same respiratory viruses more common as the child. “Contact tracing continues, but there is currently no evidence of spread of H5N1 avian influenza from this child to other individuals. To date, there have been no reported cases of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States. has been associated with person-to-person spread.”
As a precautionary measure, anyone who has been in contact with the young patient is informed and has been offered preventive treatment and tests. Specifically, health authorities know that the child attended daycare with mild symptoms before the child tested positive for avian flu. So, they contacted potentially exposed caregivers and families to conduct health checks to detect symptoms and offer preventative treatments and testing.
“For more than 15 years”, “no human-to-human spread of avian flu has been documented in any country”
“It is natural for people to be concerned, and we want to remind parents, caregivers and families that, based on the information and data we have, we do not believe the child was contagious and no human-to-human spread avian flu has not been documented in any country for more than 15 years.” said Tomás Aragón, the director of the California Department of Public Health.
