Second case of H7N9 bird flu confirmed in British Columbia

A British Columbia man is the second Canadian to test positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus, provincial health officials say.

His wife was the first confirmed case

The B.C. Ministry of Health confirmed that the unidentified man has now contracted bird flu, which comes to no surprise, according the Ministry. The couple is the first North American known case to have been infected with the virus.

The Ministry said there is still no threat to the public.

“H7N9 is a strain that we in the public health community have been watching closely since 2013. After the first case came back positive for H7N9 we fully expected that her travel companion was infected with the same strain and this was confirmed Thursday. Public health officials have completed their follow up of contacts, and there has been no further spread. Given the time frame of illness, we are confident that we will not see any additional related cases here in B.C.,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, Deputy Provincial Health Office.

Agencies/Canadajournal