The World Health Organization has confirmed that Australia’s first human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu was contracted by a child who had recently traveled to India. The child, a two-year-old girl from Victoria, had visited Kolkata in India’s state of West Bengal in February and returned to Australia in March. The WHO stated that genetic sequencing revealed the avian influenza virus as H5N1, a strain circulating in South-East Asia and previously detected in human infections and poultry.

The child was hospitalized upon returning to Australia and made a full recovery after more than two weeks of treatment. As of May 22, no close contacts of the child in Australia or India had developed symptoms of the virus. The WHO indicated that the likely source of exposure was during the child’s visit to India, where the specific clade of A(H5N1) viruses had been found in birds in the past.

Australia’s Chief Health Officer, Clare Looker, mentioned the uncertainty surrounding how the child contracted the virus. However, it was confirmed that the child did not travel outside Kolkata, India, and had no known exposure to sick individuals or animals during her stay. The WHO advised the public to avoid contact with live animal markets or farms but did not recommend travel or trade restrictions based on this isolated case.

Following this development, it is important to understand the risks associated with bird flu and the precautions that can be taken to prevent its spread. Two different strains of avian influenza have been identified in Victoria, highlighting the need for vigilance and awareness of the potential transmission of the virus to humans.