A Canadian woman who recently returned from China has become the first North American documented to have the H7N9 bird flu, the Canadian government said Monday, Jan. 26, according to Reuters.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Gregory Taylor, said the risk of transmission of this type of flu among humans is low. However, there have been approximately 500 cases of the disease in China, and about one-third of those infected have died.
The woman who returned is in her 50s and is recovering in self-isolation, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
Two days after returning to Canada from China, the woman started feeling sick, Taylor said.
“All evidence is indicating that it is likely the individual was infected following exposure to China,” he said. “We don’t know at this time how the individual contracted the virus.”
The woman traveled with a male partner, also in his 50s. Reuters reported he was exhibiting symptoms and was probably infected at the same time. Health officials have not confirmed this as a case of H7N9, according to the news agency.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that what is “most concerning about this situation is the pandemic potential of this virus. Influenza viruses constantly change and it’s possible that this virus could gain the ability to spread easily and sustainably among people, triggering a global outbreak of disease (pandemic),” The Washington Post reported.
The first case of this disease in a human was reported in March 2013. The CDC stated transmission in Chinese cases is believed to begin with contaminated environments or poultry, as the virus has been found in poultry.
The virus has not been found in birds in Canada.
(With reports from Reuters and The Washington Post)