Chile: first case of H5N1 in humans
On March 29, 2023, Chilean authorities confirmed the first national case of human infection with avian Influenza H5N1. An epidemiological investigation being conducted by the Ministry of Health ascertained that the patient's residence is located one block from the seashore where seabirds infected with H5N1 viruses had previously been detected. For that reason, an infection of environmental origin is suspected. The investigation is not yet complete as the patient remains hospitalized, but no new human cases of AI H5N1 have been reported in the country.
The confirmed case is a 53-year-old man that lives in the region of Antofagasta, in the north of Chile, with no comorbidities. When his initially mild symptoms of a cough and sore throat worsened, he was admitted on 22 March to the Regional Hospital of Antofagasta, which is one of the severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) surveillance sentinel centers in Chile.
