WHO confirms first fatal human case of H5N2 bird flu

Geneva: A person died of bird flu in Mexico in the first confirmed case of a human infected with the H5N2 variant, the World Health Organization said...

Geneva: A person died of bird flu in Mexico in the first confirmed case of a human infected with the H5N2 variant, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The 59-year old, 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 in a statement.

The resident of the State of Mexico was hospitalised in Mexico City and died the same day, the statement said.

It was the "first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus reported globally", the WHO added.

Mexican health authorities reported the confirmed case to the UN health body on May 23 after conducting laboratory tests.