Punjab Newsline, New Delhi, June 6-
A person with prior health complications who had contracted bird flu died in Mexico in April and the source of exposure to the virus was unknown, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. WHO said the current risk of bird flu virus to the general population is low.
The 59-year-old resident of the State of Mexico had been hospitalised in Mexico City and died on April 24 after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, nausea and general discomfort, WHO said.
"Although the source of exposure to the virus in this case is currently unknown, A(H5N2) viruses have been reported in poultry in Mexico", WHO said in a statement.It was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus globally and the first avian H5 virus reported in a person in Mexico, according to the WHO.
Scientists said the case is unrelated to the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in the United States that has so far infected three dairy farm workers.
GOI issuing an advisory for four states
At the same time, an alert was issued regarding the increase in cases of H5N1 in India also. While issuing an advisory regarding avian influenza, the Central Government had advised four states Andhra Pradesh (Nellore district), Maharashtra (Nagpur district), Jharkhand (Ranchi district) and Kerala (Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts) to continue taking special precautions.
In India, the central government has said that all states and union territories (UTs) should keep an eye on any unusual death in birds or chickens. Along with this, it is important for all people to avoid coming in close contact with them. Most of the symptoms of bird flu look similar to influenza. It is important to identify it in time.