First modification:
Chile reported its first avian flu infection in a 53-year-old man on March 29, after detecting several positive cases in animals in 13 of its 16 regions.
The patient presents “a picture of severe influenza,” but is stable, said the Ministry of Health, without revealing the identity of the man or the region where the infection occurred.
At a press conference, the head of the agency, Minister Ximena Aguilera, clarified that “there is currently no person-to-person transmission.” Humans get bird flu only “through contact with sick animals,” she emphasized.
In people, the H5N1 virus can cause coughing, diarrhea and fever above 38°C, among other symptoms.
Chile has already detected the virus in wild birds, sea lions and otters in 13 of its 16 regions. The first case was reported in December 2022 in the city of Arica (border with Peru).
Last week, Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service reported the detection of a bird flu case at an industrial facility in southern Chile, which involved the slaughter of nearly 50,000 birds.
