Ecuador Bird Flu Outbreak Impacts Young Girl

The Ecuadoran Ministry of Public Health recently announced a nine-year-old girl in the province of Bolivar had been infected with the A-H5 strain of avian influenza after direct contact with infected birds.

This is Ecuador's first human infected with the avian flu strain, as reported by Xinhua on January 11, 2023. "So far, no other (bird flu) cases of human infection have been recorded since an outbreak began in 2022," said the ministry.

Globally, six other human influenza A H5N1 2.3.4.4b infections had been reported in China, Vietnam, the U.K., Spain (2), and Colorado during 2022-2023.  

The Pan American Health Organization/WHO recommended on December 3, 2022, that the Member States strengthen coordination between sectors involved in alerting and responding to zoonotic events and implement the necessary measures to contain emerging pathogens that may put public health at risk. 

Previously, South American countries, such as Belize, Columbia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, confirmed bird flu cases in 2022.

In the U.S., the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service stated the Eurasian H5N1 strain first appeared in North America in January 2022, affecting 47 states, leading to the loss of over 57.8 million birds as of January 11, 2023.