B.C. teen with avian flu deemed no longer infectious, taken off supplemental oxygen

A letter sent to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine signed by Canadian health officials says the British Columbia teenager who tested positive for avian flu has been taken off of supplemental oxygen and is no longer infectious.

The letter, which was published Tuesday and provides a summary and timeline of the case, was signed by doctors from the BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s Hospital, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and B.C.'s agriculture ministry.

It says the patient was a 13-year-old girl who went to a B.C. emergency room on Nov. 4 with a fever and conjunctivitis in her eyes.

The teen, who is described as having a history of mild asthma and an elevated body mass index, was initially discharged without treatment, but developed a cough, vomiting and diarrhea before she returned on Nov. 7 in respiratory distress.

The report says the girl was transferred the next day to the pediatric intensive care unit at British Columbia Children’s Hospital for treatment, which included temporary tracheal intubation.

Additional information posted to the journal's website says the patient was deemed no longer infectious on Nov. 29 and no longer required supplemental oxygen as of Dec. 18.

It also indicates both the girl and her family consented to releasing additional details on her case and adds that, to date, the source of her H5N1 exposure has not yet been determined.

It says there have been no secondary cases of transmission of the virus in the girl's home or at the hospital.

The teen's infection, which was announced in November, was the first human case of H5N1 avian flu acquired in Canada.

B.C.'s commercial poultry sector has been damaged by avian flu outbreaks in recent years. The most recent data posted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website says more than 8.5 million birds have been "impacted" in the province since the spring of 2022.

Most of the outbreaks reported in recent months in the province have been in the Fraser Valley, located within the Fraser Health region.