Man in Mexico dies with first human case of H5N2 bird flu

Subject: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

A 59-year-old man in Mexico has died with a type of bird flu – H5N2 – never recorded in people before now.

What is bird flu?

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds.
Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.
Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). For example, a virus that has an HA 7 protein and NA 9 protein is designated as subtype H7N9.
Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
HPAI A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.
HPAI Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.

Various strains of Bird Flu:

H5N2 belongs to a family of bird flu viruses called H5, which primarily infects wild birds.
There are a total of nine known subtypes of H5 viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
H5N1, which was detected in dairy cows in the U.S. in March, also belongs to this family.
There are many types or strains of avian or bird flu.
As well as birds, some wild mammals – such as seals, otters, wild dogs and foxes – can catch them too.
One type of bird flu, called H5N1, has been spreading for weeks among dairy cow herds in the US, with a small number of cases reported among humans.