A teenager in British Columbia has tested positive for H5 avian influenza, making this the first human case detected in Canada. The young patient from the Fraser Health region is receiving care at B.C. Children’s Hospital, while health officials work to understand how this rare viral infection occurred. As a health reporter who’s covered countless infectious disease outbreaks, this case catches my attention – not because it’s cause for panic, but because it adds another piece to our understanding of how viruses move between animals and humans. The samples are currently at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for confirmation, … Continue reading Canada Confirms First Human H5 Avian Flu Case as B.C. Teen Tests Positive—Health Officials Monitor Spread