The person was taken to hospital in Mexico Metropolis on April 24 and died later that day. (Representational

Geneva, Switzerland:

A person contaminated with H5N2 hen flu, the primary confirmed human an infection with the pressure, died from a number of components, the WHO mentioned on Friday, including that investigations have been ongoing.

The World Well being Group introduced on Wednesday that the primary laboratory-confirmed human case of an infection with H5N2 avian influenza virus had been reported from Mexico.

Mexico’s well being ministry mentioned the 59-year-old man had “a historical past of continual kidney illness, kind 2 diabetes (and) long-standing systemic arterial hypertension”.

He had been bedridden for 3 weeks previous to the onset of acute signs, creating fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, nausea and normal malaise on April 17.

The person was taken to hospital in Mexico Metropolis on April 24 and died later that day.

“The dying is a multi-factorial dying, not a dying attributable to H5N2,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier informed a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.

“The affected person got here to the hospital after weeks of multi-factorial background of multi different ailments.”

His physique was subsequently routinely examined for flu and different viruses, and H5N2 was detected, Lindmeier mentioned.

Seventeen contacts of the case within the hospital have been recognized. All examined damaging for influenza.

Within the man’s place of residence, 12 contacts within the weeks beforehand have been recognized. All likewise examined damaging.

“Investigations are ongoing. Serology is ongoing. Meaning the blood testing of contacts to see if there was any potential earlier an infection,” mentioned Lindmeier.

“At this cut-off date, as its multi-factorial, it is a multi-factorial dying.

“However the an infection of H5N2 is being investigated to see whether or not he was contaminated by any individual visiting or by any contact with any animals earlier than.”

The WHO mentioned on Wednesday the supply of publicity to the virus was at present unknown, although H5N2 viruses have been reported in poultry in Mexico.

Primarily based on out there data, the United Nations’ well being company assesses the present danger to the final inhabitants posed by the virus as low.

Low meals danger

Markus Lipp, senior meals security officer on the UN’s Meals and Agriculture Group, defined why the chance of contracting avian influenza although consuming poultry was “negligibly low”.

“In all of the hundred years of avian influenza… there has not been any demonstrated food-borne transmission,” he informed the briefing, through video-link from the FAO’s headquarters in Rome.

“Animal handlers, after all, who’re in extraordinarily shut contact with animals could get an an infection but it surely’s an occupational danger. It is not a food-borne transmission.

“People do not need avian influenza receptors of their gastro-intestinal tract, opposite to sure animal species, so far as we all know.

“So there’s a very slim chance, simply from that perspective.”

Of all of the meals security dangers when consuming poultry, “most likely the bottom danger is related to avian influenza. There are numerous different microbiological dangers which might be extra prone to trigger hurt to shoppers if meals is inadequately ready,” he mentioned.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)