The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a case of avian flu (H9N2) in a four year old boy in eastern India, an announcement that comes a week after the world body reported another case of the disease in an Australian girl who had traveled to India.
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The WHO indicated, in a statement dated Tuesday and released today by the Indian media, that it had been notified on May 22 “of a case of human infection by the avian influenza A (H9N2) virus detected in a child resident of the state of West Bengal.”
Although he was initially diagnosed with bronchiolitis and discharged, he was admitted again to the ICU of another hospital on March 3 and tested positive for influenza A (H9N2). It was not until May 1 that the patient was discharged.
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According to the WHO, the child was exposed to poultry in and around his home. However, similar symptoms of the disease have not been reported among his family or people around him.
Last week, the WHO confirmed the first human case of bird flu in Australia in a two-year-old girl who had traveled to Australia in February. West Bengal.
She, however, was diagnosed with the H5N1 subtype of the virus.
Upon returning from the trip, the girl was admitted to the hospital with flu symptoms and was later transferred to the ICU, but recovered after two and a half weeks.
According to the WHO, the flu virus of animal origin is normally transmitted between animals, although it is also possible for humans to become infected.
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Avian influenza in humans can cause illnesses ranging from a mild infection in the upper respiratory tract to more serious illnesses that They can be deadly.
Cases of conjunctivitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, encephalitis and encephalopathy have also been detected in infected people.
Between 2003 and November 2023, 880 human cases of avian influenza (H5N1) have been detected in 23 countries, with a total of 460 deaths, according to data from the UN agency.
EFE
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