A 53-year-old man in Chile tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) after experiencing severe flu symptoms making it the country’s first case in a human, reported Reuters on March 30.
Health investigators have yet to determine how the man was infected. HPAI can be passed from birds and marine mammals to humans, but there is low risk for human-to-human transmission. However, vaccine makers have been preparing an HPAI vaccine for humans just in case, according to Reuters.
In addition to its first human case, a farm of 53,950 laying hens in Fundo Chequen, Chile, tested positive for HPAI March 22 after reporting 450 deaths, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). Part of the flock, 27,587 birds, has been culled with the remainder expected to be culled as well.
Avian flu in Argentina
The two latest avian flu outbreaks in Argentina occurred at layer farms, according to WOAH. The most recent was reported March 28 in Lobos resulting in 1,400 HPAI-related deaths. The number culled is currently unknown.
Just a few days prior, another outbreak was reported at a farm in El Espinillo with 2,752 culled. The outbreak was detected during the surveillance of the 3-kilometer zone around a backyard flock that tested positive for HPAI.
The origin of infection for both outbreaks is unknown.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
