Chile Confirms First Bird Flu Cases in a Man

The Republic of Chile Ministry of Health today announced the first case of bird flu in humans. Reported from northern Chile, the 53-year-old man is in stable condition.

The avian influenza source of contact is being investigated.

The H5N1 "bird flu" virus can be transmitted from birds or marine mammals to humans, but there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission in Chile as of March 30, 2023.

Infected birds were recently confirmed in Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, and Uruguay.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Technical Report issued on March 17, 2023, confirmed the current risk to the public from A(H5N1) viruses remains low.

If there is a bird flu outbreak in humans, there is one U.S. FDA-approved bird flu vaccine.

However, the CDC says the annual flu shot will not prevent bird flu infections.

According to the CDC FluView dashboard, 54 countries reported bird flu outbreaks to the World Health Organization from 2021 through March 29, 2023.