Canadian health officials confirmed reports that on Jan. 3, a Canadian citizen of Alberta Province died in Edmonton from complications due to the H5N1 virus commonly known as avian influenza or Bird Flu.
It was the first H5N1-related death in North America. The deceased, whose name is being withheld to protect the family's privacy, had stayed in Beijing just prior to his return to Canada.
According to Canadian Minister of Health Rona Ambrose, the deceased fell ill sometime prior to boarding an Air Canada flight out of Beijing on Dec. 27, but began exhibiting symptoms during the flight. The flight initially stopped in Vancouver before heading on to Edmonton where he was admitted to a hospital on Jan. 1. He passed away two days later. Although no other passengers were put in harm's way, health officials are in the process of contacting all passengers on those flights as a precaution.
At present, it is not known how the deceased became infected. The deceased had neither traveled outside of Beijing nor visited a farm or public market during his time in China and no cases of H5N1 have been reported in Beijing. Ambrose stated that Canadian health authorities are working with their Chinese counterparts on the investigation of the incident. Ambrose stressed that the infection and death was an isolated incident and there are no dangers of a widespread outbreak.
H5N1 is a viral infection of the lower respiratory tract that can lead to life threatening pneumonia. Health officials emphasized that the illness is not transmitted from person to person but rather occurs when people come into contact with an infected animal. According to the World Health Organization, there were 38 cases of H5N1 in 2013 including 24 fatalities.