B.C. teen with avian flu off oxygen, no longer infectious, Canadian health officials tell medical journal – CBC

Source of 13-year-old girl’s exposure hasn’t been determined, says letter to New England Journal of Medicine

Jan 01, 2025

A letter sent to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine signed by Canadian health officials says the British Columbia teenager who tested positive for avian flu has been taken off supplemental oxygen and is no longer infectious.

The letter, which was published Tuesday and provides a summary and timeline of the case, was signed by doctors from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, B.C. Children’s Hospital, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and B.C.’s agriculture ministry.

It says the patient was a 13-year-old girl who went to a B.C. emergency room on Nov. 4 with a fever and conjunctivitis in her eyes.

The teen, who is described as having a history of mild asthma and an elevated body mass index, was initially discharged without treatment, but developed a cough, vomiting and diarrhea before she returned on Nov. 7 in respiratory distress.

The report says the girl was transferred the next day to the pediatric intensive care unit at British Columbia Children’s Hospital for treatment, which included temporary tracheal intubation.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/avian-flu-bc-teen-1.7421512