Health officials in BC say they have detected Canada’s first human case of H5 bird flu.

In a press release Saturday afternoon, the provincial health officer’s office said a positive test for the H5 influenza virus was conducted at the BC Center for Disease Control’s public health laboratory.

The samples are now being sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, the office said.

The person who tested positive is a teenager from BC’s Fraser Health region, which stretches from Burnaby to Hope. The infected teenager is being treated at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, according to the release.

“Our thoughts are with this young person and their family during this difficult time,” Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer, said in the statement.

“This is a rare event, and while this is the first case of H5 detected in a person in BC or Canada, there have been a small number of human cases in the US and elsewhere, which is why we are conducting a thorough investigation. to fully understand the source of the exposure here in BC”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.