Mexico reports first human case of H5N1 bird flu

Mexico has detected its first human case of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, the health ministry said on Friday.

The infection was confirmed on Tuesday in a three-year-old girl living in the northern state of Durango, who remains hospitalised in serious condition.

“So far there is no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission,” the health ministry said in a statement, adding that the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers the public health risks of the virus to the general population to be low.