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A recent severe case of bird flu in a Canadian teen has raised alarms about the H5N1 virus, which has been steadily increasing in human cases, particularly across the United States. The 13-year-old girl, who was hospitalized in November 2024, had asthma and obesity, but was otherwise in good health before contracting the virus. After developing multiorgan failure, she required advanced life support, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and continuous dialysis.
Thanks to aggressive treatment involving three antiviral medications, the teen eventually recovered, but her infection’s source remains unknown. Dr. Megan Ranney, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, remarked on the severity of her illness, stating, “She had multiorgan failure and was horribly ill. Were those extraordinary treatment modalities not available, she likely would not have lived.” This case, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on December 31, 2024, underscores the emerging threats posed by newer H5N1 variants, such as D1.1, which have shown genetic changes potentially making them more adaptable to human hosts.
The rising concerns about human-to-human transmission have been voiced by several health experts, including Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo from the Pandemic Center at Brown University. “This is a very worrisome outcome that we should be much more concerned about happening with other infections,” Nuzzo explained.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also been tracking human H5N1 infections, with a study documenting 46 confirmed cases in the U.S. this year. While most of these cases were mild, often linked to exposure to infected animals or raw milk, the emergence of severe cases like the one in Canada and a recent case in Louisiana has sparked growing concern. According to the CDC, 93% of infections in farmworkers involved eye redness or conjunctivitis, while nearly half of the cases experienced fevers. The average illness duration was about four days.
The study also found that 7% of dairy farm workers showed evidence of H5N1 infection, raising concerns about occupational exposure. Dr. Marrazzo, an expert in infectious diseases, stated, “The risk is really going to come when this gets better at obviously infecting humans, and then we are faced with the potential for human-to-human transmission.”
Although human cases remain rare, the continuous presence of H5N1 in both humans and animals has experts worried. Dr. Marrazzo concluded, “This virus doesn’t miss a beat.”
The CDC and other public health organizations continue to monitor the situation, providing updated information on the virus’s spread. As the virus evolves, experts warn that more attention and resources may be needed to prevent a potential pandemic.
For more information:
- Shikha Garg et al, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infections in Humans, New England Journal of Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2414610
