They confirm the death of the first patient from avian flu A(H5N2) in the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday the first death from avian flu A(H5N2) in the world, which was detected in a laboratory in Mexico and in a patient from that country.

The victim is a 59-year-old man residing in the State of Mexico, close to the capital, who died on April 24 in that nation, where the virus had been reported only in poultry, the entity said.

However, the source of virus exposure for the deceased patient is still unknown, who had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals and was bedridden due to an underlying illness.

The WHO said that this is the first confirmed human case in a laboratory, of infection with the influenza A(H5N2) virus at a global level, and the first infection of this type reported in a person in Mexico.

On May 23, Mexican health authorities reported to the international body about the confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza virus A(H5N2).

According to family members, the patient was already suffering from other health conditions, but on April 17, he developed fever, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, nausea, and general discomfort.

On April 24th, the man sought medical attention and was admitted to the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases 'Ismael Cosío Villegas' (INER), where he passed away the same day due to complications from his illness.

At INER, 17 contacts of the patient were identified, one of whom stated having had nasal discharge between April 28 and 29, explained the WHO. Twelve additional contacts (seven symptomatic and five asymptomatic) were identified near the victim's residence.

This case is reported in a context where the H5N1 avian flu virus has spread to dairy cows in the United States.

Even though three human cases have been reported in the U.S. this year, U.S. health authorities have clarified that none are related to the outbreak of the virus in cows.

H5N1 is a subtype of highly contagious avian flu among birds.

At the end of March, it was reported that dairy cows from Texas and Kansas were infected with avian flu. Subsequently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed cases in a herd of dairy cows in Michigan that had been in contact with specimens from Texas.

In Mexico, on April 5th, the National Service of Health, Safety, and Agro-Food Quality (Senasica) declared the country as free of avian influenza A(H5N2), indicating that the virus had been absent for over 25 years, with the last confirmed case in commercial production dating back to June 5th, 1995.

Mexican authorities have not provided any additional information about the case reported to the WHO so far.

The WHO warned about the need for continuous surveillance and the possibility of developing vaccines in case of an avian flu pandemic, and estimated that, in the event of a pandemic emergency, vaccines could be produced within a four-month timeframe.