Human-to-human spread a mutation away

CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.

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Weeks later on November 29, Maria Van Kerkhove, epidemiologist with the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an online press conference that the world is seeing epizootic cases of bird flu spreading in poultry, wild birds, livestock and marine mammals. She also noted that the US alone has recorded 55