A woman in Canada has been diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu, making her the first human in North America infected with the disease, according to an NBC News report.
The British Columbian woman was diagnosed after recently traveling to China, where nearly 500 people have been infected. A man she was traveling with is experiencing flu-like symptoms and may also have contracted the virus, although no diagnosis has yet been confirmed for him.
Canadian health ministry officials have assured the public H7N9 does not spread easily and the risk of infection to anyone else in Canada is very low. According to the officials, the woman is recovering in self-isolation and all of her contacts are being closely monitored by provincial public health authorities.
H7N9 is the designation for a subtype of influenza viruses that are found in birds, and don't typically infect humans. When humans are infected, however, they may experience high fever and cough and, in some cases, the symptoms progress to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock and multi-organ failure leading to death.
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