Why in news
The World Health Organization said a person in Mexico had died in the first confirmed human case globally of infection with the H5N2 variant of bird flu.
The patient, who died on April 24 after developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, and nausea, had “no history of exposure to poultry or other animals, and “multiple underlying medical conditions”, the WHO said.
H5N2
H5 N2 is a subtype of the species Influenza virus A (avian influenza virus or bird flu virus).
The H5N2 virus was first found in Ireland in 1983
The subtype infects a wide variety of birds, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, falcons, and ostriches.
Affected birds usually do not appear ill, and the disease is often mild as avian influenza viral subtypes go.
Some variants of the subtype are much more pathogenic than others, and outbreaks of "high-path" H5N2 result in the culling of thousands of birds in poultry farms
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