Canadian health authorities have announced the first avian flu death in North America, in the western plains province of Alberta, of a patient who had just returned from China.
"I am here to confirm North America's first human case of H5N1, also known as avian flu," Canada Health Minister Rona Ambrose told a press conference yesterday, confirming the patient died.
Officials said the victim, whose gender and other identifying traits were withheld to protect the family's privacy, had recently returned from a trip to Beijing.
The otherwise healthy individual, who had travelled with two companions, was admitted to hospital with a fever and headache and passed away on January 3.
Officials stressed the risk to the population is "extremely low" as there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus.
