Death of Mexican man linked to bird flu strain that’s new in humans

By Riley Griffin and Jessica Nix | Bloomberg

A man in Mexico died after contracting a strain of bird flu that hasn’t been confirmed in humans before, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The virus was detected in a 59-year-old patient who had been hospitalized in Mexico City. The man died one week after developing a fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea. It’s the first lab-confirmed case of a person contracting a form of bird flu known as H5N2, the WHO said in a statement, raising questions about a strain that has largely been under the radar. The current bird flu outbreak in US dairy cows is being driven by a different strain — H5N1.

The patient, who lived in central Mexico, had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals. The Mexican government doesn’t know where he was exposed to the virus, though the strain of avian influenza has been reported in poultry in the Mexican state where the person lived.

The current risk posed by the H5N2 virus to the general public is low, according to the WHO, which said no further cases were reported after an investigation.

The H5N2-infected man had several underlying health conditions, including chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and longstanding hypertension, according to Mexico’s health ministry Wednesday. He had been bedridden for three weeks prior to the onset of acute symptoms in mid-April, the WHO added, citing the patient’s relatives. Though hospitalized on April 24, the man died the same day.

Mexican authorities reported the fatal case to the WHO on May 23 after confirming the presence of the virus in a sample from the deceased man.