B.C. teen out of PICU after contracting bird flu in November

The B.C. teenager who was Canada’s first human case of avian influenza is no longer requiring supplemental oxygen and has been transferred out of an Intensive Care Unit.

That’s according to a letter published on Tuesday to the New England Journal of Medicine from multiple doctors and researchers at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In the case summary of the letter, the 13-year-old girl, who has a history of asthma and an “elevated body-mass index,” first went to an emergency department on Nov. 4 with a fever and a two-day history of conjunctivitis in both eyes. Doctors discharged her at the time, but she then developed a cough, vomiting, and diarrhea.

She went back to the ER on Nov. 7 in what the doctors describe as “respiratory distress with hemodynamic instability,” where the body’s cardiovascular system isn’t delivering enough blood to the body’s organs.

A day later, on Nov. 8, the teen was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the B.C. Children’s Hospital. Doctors say she was suffering from respiratory failure, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, and other conditions.

The teen’s condition further deteriorated, and she was given three different antiviral medications, along with being intubated and attached to an ECMO oxygenation machine where blood is pumped outside of the body. The machine then removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-rich blood back into the body.

Due to her kidney damage, the teen was also undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy, a form of dialysis.

According to the doctors, the girl didn’t deteriorate further, and swabs showed a decline in viral loads. By Nov. 22, the teen was well enough to be taken off the ECMO machine and she was later extubated on Nov. 28.

On Nov. 29, doctors deemed the teen to be no longer infectious. On Dec. 4, she was well enough to be transferred out of the hospital’s PICU unit and placed in a general ward. By Dec. 18, the girl was no longer requiring extra oxygen.

“To date, no source of H5N1 virus exposure for the patient has been identified. … No secondary cases of transmission of H5N1 in the patient’s home or hospital have been identified at this time,” the doctors stated.

According to tests, the genotyping found in the girl’s swabs is the same genotype of the virus that has been circulating among wild birds and poultry in B.C. and Washington since October 2024.

You can watch The Leader Spirit 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.