Ecuador confirms first case of avian influenza in humans

Ecuador reported a first case of bird flu in a human being, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, a month after the country declared an animal health emergency over the disease in birds.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that the first case of influenza A-H5 It occurred in a nine-year-old girl in the central province of Bolívar and raised an epidemiological fence, both human and animal, in risk areas.

“It is presumed that the infection occurred through direct contact with birds that carried the virus”the ministry added. “So far no other cases have been reported in humans.”

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The Ministry of Health did not report on the status of the infected minor.

The disease, often known as bird flu, is spread by wild birds that can then transmit the virus to poultry.

Ecuador declared an animal health emergency at the end of November and an epidemiological alert in mid-December 2022, after an outbreak was detected in the province of Cotopaxi, where thousands of birds were slaughtered to contain the disease.

Subsequently, other cases were reported in the province of Bolívar in backyard birds, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Source: Reuters