The Ministry of Health of Chile has reported that it is the first time in the country that a human has been infected with the highly pathogenic bird flu, writes Reuters.
According to the information provided by the ministry, the virus was detected in a 53-year-old woman who had severe flu symptoms. The government is looking for the source of the infection and identifying the persons who came in contact with the patient.
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza
H5N1 in the wildlife population have been reported in Chile since last year.
Recent outbreaks of bird flu in farms have forced Chile to halt poultry exports. Cases in poultry farms have also been detected in Argentina, but no cases of H5N1 have been detected in Brazil.
Chilean health authorities have informed that the virus can be transmitted from birds or marine mammals to humans, but there are currently no known cases of transmission of the virus from human to human.
At the beginning of the year, a human case of bird flu was also confirmed in Ecuador. World health experts have stated that the risk of human-to-human transmission of H5N1 is very low, but vaccine manufacturers are preparing vaccines just in case.
Read also: Highly pathogenic bird flu found among domestic fowl in Estonia