Mexico has confirmed its first human case of H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu). The country’s Ministry of Health announced the news on Friday, April 4, according to a report by British news agency Reuters.
In a statement, the health ministry said, “So far, we have no evidence of widespread transmission among humans.”
The infection was confirmed in a three-year-old child in the northern state of Durango last Tuesday. The child is currently hospitalized in critical condition.
However, citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Mexico’s Ministry of Health stated that the virus still poses a minimal risk to public health.
Durango, where the virus was identified, has an economy largely dependent on agriculture, with livestock being a major driving sector.
It is worth noting that since 2020, a deadly variant of H5N1 has been spreading among animals globally. This has caused significant damage to the poultry industry, particularly ducks and chickens. For the first time last year, the virus was also detected in cattle.