1 death linked to avian flu in the United States

This death comes at a time when the H5N1 virus has recently undergone a mutation that is causing concern for the World Health Organization. This mutation, considered to be one of the most worrying ever observed, is currently being closely monitored.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the 65-year-old deceased was most likely exposed to H5N1 through contact with domestic birds in the backyard of his home, which were themselves interacting with wild birds.

However, the investigation concluded that no other cases of human H5N1 were linked to this incident.

H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, emerged in 2003, mainly affecting Asia.

Since then, over 800 severe human cases of H5N1 have been confirmed, with a mortality rate of around 50%. This percentage is probably lower if unreported cases are included.

Since its appearance in 2003, H5N1 has had a profound impact on the food industry, particularly poultry and dairy production, leading to the slaughter of hundreds of millions of birds to halt its spread.

This crisis has caused considerable economic losses, disrupting supply chains due to global health concerns.

The virus is being closely monitored in the USA and Canada, particularly after a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia, recently hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1, survived the infection.

The cause of her contamination remains unknown, despite a thorough investigation.

Authorities are reassuring that no human-to-human transmission has yet been identified.