Mexican becomes first human in the world to die of new bird flu virus, WHO says (2024)

Bird flu outbreak (Image: Getty)

A person in Mexico has become the first human in the world to die from the new bird flu strain, WHO confirmed on Wednesday.

The 59-year-old died on April 24 after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea, and general discomfort, the organization said.

This was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) subtype of bird flu reported globally, and the first H5 virus infection in a person reported in Mexico.

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WHO said the victim had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals. The source of exposure to the virus in the case is currently unknown.

The victim had multiple underlying medical conditions and had been bedridden for three weeks prior to the onset of acute symptoms, WHO said.

The bird flu outbreak in US dairy cows is prompting development of next-generation mRNA vaccinesi (Image: AP)

WHO has said the current risk to the general population posed by the bird flu virus is still low.

The current bird flu outbreak in US dairy cows, meanwhile, is being driven by a different strain - H5N1.

That strain of the bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species in scores of countries since 2020. It was detected in US dairy herds in March, although investigators think it may have been in cows since December. Last week, the USDA announced it had been found in alpacas for the first time.

At least three people in the US — all workers at farms with infected cows — have been diagnosed with bird flu, although the illnesses were considered mild.

But earlier versions of the same H5N1 flu virus have been highly lethal to humans in other parts of the world. Officials are taking steps to be prepared if the virus mutates in a way to make it more deadly or enables it to spread more easily from person to person.

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This 2005 electron microscope image shows an avian influenza A H5N1 virion (Image: AP)

The government has hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses in pre-filled syringes and vials that likely could go out in a matter of weeks, if needed, federal health officials say.

As for the vaccine for cows, the plan is for a sample of cows' blood to be drawn and examined to look for how much bird flu-fighting antibodies were produced.

If a vaccine reduces the amount of virus in the cow, it will ultimately reduce the chance that a mutant virus that spreads in humans could emerge.

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