Chile: Human case of H5N1
In northern Chile, the Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of avian influenza in humans. A 53-year-old man has been affected by a severe case of influenza, but is currently stable. The established health protocols for managing this disease have been activated and the patient has undergone tests for analysis by the Institute of Public Health (ISP), which has confirmed the presence of the HPAI H5N1 virus. Investigations are underway to determine the source of the patient's contact and whether others in his environment have been affected.
The present instance marks the second occurrence of its kind in South America (refer to Ecuador's case report), and the eighth instance globally within the clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 (it is worth noting that there is some uncertainty surrounding the infection status of two cases from Spain).
