On May 22, WHO announced that the child was hospitalized on March 2 and remained there for more than two weeks.
According to the latest update, the boy went to Kolkata from February 12 to February 19 and returned to Australia on March 1.
WHO said genetic sequencing showed the virus was subtype H5N1 and was part of a strain circulating in Southeast Asia that had previously been detected in human infections and poultry.
How did the child get the infection?
It’s important to check if the child has been in contact with poultry or other birds, or if there has been an outbreak of this version of H5N1 nearby, according to Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “H5N1 viruses do not transmit effectively between humans, and I suspect that a latent animal exposure caused the infection,” Adalja told Reuters. said.
“The case is a 2.5-year-old girl who does not have any underlying conditions. She had a travel history to Kolkata, India, between 12-29 February 2024. She returned to Australia on 1 March 2024.
After returning to Australia, the child was admitted to a hospital in Victoria on 2 March 2024, where he received medical care and was admitted to hospital the same day. On March 4, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit of a referral hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, for one week due to worsening symptoms. The patient was discharged after 2.5 weeks of treatment. The case is currently reported to be clinically stable,” WHO said in a press release.
What were the symptoms?
The child, who did not feel well with symptoms such as loss of appetite, irritability and fever on February 25, 2024, was taken to a doctor in India on the evening of February 28, 2024. He had a fever, was coughing and vomiting and was given paracetamol. The Australian airport biosecurity officer was not notified that the child was unwell upon arrival in Australia on 1 March 2024.
