Press Release
Mexico City: The first human death caused by the new H5N2 bird flu virus has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a 59-year-old man, who was being treated at a hospital in Mexico City, succumbed to the virus after experiencing fever, shortness of breath, and nausea.
This marks the first known human fatality from the H5N2 virus, previously identified only in animals.
The WHO says that while H5N2 had been reported in poultry in Mexico, this incident is the first laboratory-confirmed human case of the virus worldwide.
The WHO had earlier raised concerns about the spread of bird flu viruses, including H5N1. Since early 2020, the H5N1 virus has caused the deaths of millions of chickens and has recently been found in several mammal species, including domestic cattle in the United States, heightening the risk of human transmission.
“This situation is very concerning,” says Jeremy Farrar, the WHO’s chief scientist, during a media briefing in Geneva.
In March 2024, goats and cows were also added to the list of animals susceptible to the virus, which surprised experts who previously believed these animals did not carry such flu risks.
It is important to note that several deaths from human avian influenza, particularly the H5N1 strain, have been reported previously.
