#17,377
Although details are scant at this hour, Chile's Ministry of Health tweeted late this afternoon on their first confirmed H5N1 infection, in a 53-year old male in the northern part of the country. A hat tip to Sharon Sanders at FluTrackers for the head's up.
The brief announcement from the Ministry's website follows:
March 29, 2023
MINSAL reports first human case of bird flu in Chile
The Ministry of Health reports the first case of bird flu in humans in Chile, reported in northern Chile.
The sick person corresponds to a 53-year-old man affected by a severe influenza case. The patient is stable within his gravity.
The health protocols established for the management of this disease were activated and the corresponding tests were taken for analysis by the Institute of Public Health (ISP), which confirmed that it is avian influenza.
The source of contact is investigated and whether there is a history of others affecte in the patient's environment.
The H5N1 virus or “bird flu” is a virus that can be transmitted from birds or marine mammals to humans, but there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission.
The Ministry of Health calls on citizens not to handle sick or dead birds or mammals and urges poultry workers to follow the corresponding safety protocols and to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza.
This case is the 2nd reported in South America (see Ecuador's case report), and the 8th overall from clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 (note: some doubt has been cast on the infection status 2 cases from Spain).
Given that mild or moderate influenza infections are rarely hospitalized and then tested for novel viruses, it is possible - perhaps even likely - that some cases have escaped detection.
So far, however, we've not seen any evidence of efficient or sustained human-to-human transmission.