A BC teen from the Fraser Valley who became sick with avian influenza remains in critical care at BC Children’s Hospital more than two weeks after the case was first revealed to the public.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the teen is stable, though “still very sick.” She characterized the infection as severe, but the teen has made progress and is expected to recover.
“This young person has received the best possible care from the BC Children’s Hospital,” Henry said.
The good news is that the teen’s illness didn’t spread to anyone else they came into contact with. Public health workers traced the young person’s contact with friends, family, and healthcare workers. Now that everyone has completed a 10-day incubation period, no one else has fallen ill.
Bird flu believed to have come from family dog
The closest guess public health workers have about where the sickness came from was the family’s dog, Henry said. The family recently adopted a dog that was sick at the time the teen fell ill.
By the time veterinary workers tested the dog for bird flu it was negative, and there have only been two worldwide cases documented of avian flu in dogs — so it’s hard to know what symptoms in family pets to look out for.
“We may not ever be able to know for certain exactly how they were exposed and where it came from,” Henry said.
BC also sequenced the genome of the virus the teen got sick with. It appears most closely related to bird flu samples from geese found in the Fraser Valley in October.
Birds in BC have been becoming sick with the rapidly spreading virus, with 54 poultry farm properties in the Fraser Valley impacted so far.
The viral strain the teen became sick with does not appear related to flu outbreaks connected to dairy farms in the US.
The public health investigation has now closed following contact tracing of those who cared for the teen and people involved in the veterinary care of the dog. Henry added she’s confident there are no additional human cases from the teen’s illness.
The Lower Mainland is a highway for migrating waterfowl, and this is the sixth year in a row that bird flu has been detected in wild birds. Henry advised British Columbians not to touch birds or other wildlife and to report birds that appear sick.
Ponds that waterfowl frequent can also contain bird flu virus for some time — Henry advised people to stay out of those waters. She also recommended people avoid ducks, geese, or other birds at petting zoos.