A Canadian died from H5N1 avian influenza after returning from a trip to China, in what is the only current confirmed case of its kind in North America, federal health officials said on Wednesday.
Officials at a briefing in Ottawa said that the case was isolated and there was minimal risk to the general public. The H5N1 strain normally spread through contact with infected birds, kills about 60 percent of those infected, they added.
The person, who travelled to China in December, died in a province in the West of Alberta on January 3. Officials warned Canadians to avoid coming into contact with birds in China.
The Alberta health ministry issued a statement saying there were 38 world-wide cases of H5N1 avian influenza reported to the World Health Organization and 24 deaths in 2013.
Most avian flu viruses do not cause disease in humans as described by the World Health Organization. However, some forms such as H5N1 are Zoonotic, which means they can infect humans, causing disease and even death.
