Bird Flu Virus in Canadian Teen Shows Mutations That Could Help It Spread Among Humans

FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- In a development that health experts have warned might come, Canadian officials report that the bird flu virus isolated from a sick teen in Vancouver shows mutations that could help it spread more easily among humans.

At this point, there is no evidence that this particular mutated H5N1 virus has traveled beyond the one Canadian patient: After monitoring of dozens of potential contacts among the teen’s friends, family and health care providers, “no further cases have been identified,” Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for the province of British Columbia, told CNN.