Chile confirms first human case of H5N1 bird flu in 53-year-old individual

On Wednesday, the health ministry in northern Chile confirmed that a man has been diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu, which has been spreading globally, causing widespread concern. The 53-year-old individual, who is from Tocopilla, a coastal city, is currently in serious but stable condition, suffering from severe pneumonia. At this time, it is unclear how he contracted the virus.

The diagnosis of severe avian influenza was confirmed by the Public Health Institute and comes two weeks after it was reported that a poultry company infected with the virus culled some 40,000 birds. It is unknown how the patient was infected and if there are other people in his environment affected.

"The health protocols for the management of this disease were activated and the corresponding samples were taken for analysis by the Institute of Public Health, which confirmed it is avian influenza,” the health ministry said. The source of the infection and the patient’s contacts are being investigated to determine if anyone else is affected, the ministry added.

The H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been spreading globally, and the virus has also been detected in an increasing number of mammals, causing alarm over the potential development of a variant that could facilitate human-to-human transmission. While there have been only a limited number of confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans after exposure to infected birds, the global spread of the virus has raised concerns about the possibility of a more severe outbreak in the future.

Symptoms of the disease in humans include high fever, muscle aches, headache, and sore throat, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. The H5N1 virus, known as bird flu, can be transmitted from birds or marine mammals to humans, although there are no known human-to-human infections.

First case in Chile, second in South America

Another case of avian influenza in humans was reported last January by Ecuador, where it affected a nine-year-old girl who had been in contact with poultry on a farm affected by the outbreak. The patient was hospitalised in critical condition but eventually recovered.

In recent weeks, there have been several reports of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks around the world. China reported a case of H5N1 infection in a woman from Jiangsu province, and shortly after, two people in Cambodia were infected with an older variant of H5N1.

Additionally, Chile reported that over 500 sea lions in the country are suspected to have died from H5N1, while in neighboring Peru, tens of thousands of birds and nearly 3,500 sea lions have died from the virus. In Chile, the first cases of infected wild birds, especially pelicans, were detected on northern beaches at the end of February and contagion in marine mammals was quickly confirmed.

“The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world and the increasing reports of cases in mammals, including in humans,” Dr. Sylvie Briand, a WHO official, said on February 24. “WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries,” Briand added.

China also reported a human case of H3N8 bird flu, earlier this week.