As a Canadian teen remains in critical care with an H5N1 avian flu infection in a British Columbia hospital, health investigators said today they haven't identified the source, but have found other clues such as virus changes that may have led to a more severe lower respiratory infection.

B.C. health officials say they still don't know how a teenager became infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu but say no further cases have been identified.Earlier this month, health officials announced they were investigating what was believed to be the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza caught in Canada.

H5N1 update from BC Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry on Nov. 26, 2024.

As an investigation continues into how a B.C. teenager became infected with avian flu, there are ways British Columbians can protect themselves. The teen, who lives in the Fraser Health Region, has made some progress but remains in critical condition with H5N1 bird flu. This is the first case of H5N1 avian flu in Canada.

A teenager in British Columbia who is being treated in the critical care unit was confirmed to have been infected with the bird flu virus.

BC's top doctor Bonnie Henry says that a potential source of the exposure to the teen is a pet dog that was sick at the time the young person was infected.But she said all the testing that was done on the dog have come back negative for the virus.