The Next Pandemic May Already Be Brewing | The Walrus

Symptoms began on a 13th birthday with red, sore, itchy eyes, followed by fever. Over three days, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, coughing, and difficulty breathing escalated. Emergency care confirmed conjunctivitis but initially required no treatment. Her condition worsened to dangerously high fever, rapid heart rate, critically low oxygen, and blue lips, prompting antibiotics and oxygen and then transfer to BC Children’s Hospital. A pediatric intensive care specialist suspected severe viral infection and started antivirals while sending a swab for testing. Lab results were negative for seasonal flu but showed a large amount of unlabeled virus. Rapid additional testing identified H5N1 bird flu, marking the first human infection in Canada and raising pandemic concerns due to historically high mortality.

"Over the next three days, symptoms escalated: vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, coughing, difficulty breathing. Meghan Makowka rushed her daughter Joselynn Armstrong back to the ER. By now, her fever was dangerously high, her heart was racing, her oxygen level was critically low. Her lips were blue. Doctors gave her antibiotics and hooked up an oxygen mask, but when she didn't improve, they transferred her to BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver for specialized care."

"Linda Edwards was the pediatric intensive care specialist on duty that night. She saw how rapidly Joselynn was deteriorating and suspected a severe viral infection, most likely flu. She administered antiviral medication, increased the level of oxygen, and sent a swab to the lab to confirm the diagnosis. David Goldfarb, the medical microbiologist overseeing the lab, knew they were dealing with something unusual when the test came back negative for seasonal flu yet indicated a large amount of virus the test couldn't label."

"He checked the patient history and noted the conjunctivitis, a flag for the flu that had been infecting American dairy and poultry workers in recent months. Goldfarb rushed the swab to the BC Centre for Disease Control, requesting urgent analysis. Within hours, he knew they were dealing with the H5N1 bird flu, and his patient was the first person ever infected in Canada."

"The result triggered alarm. Historically, the mortality rate among people stricken by H5N1 has been exceptionally high. And it is feared that H5N1 could cause the next pandemic. With every human case-seventy-o"

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