Canadian health authorities have announced the first avian flu death in North America, in the western plains province of Alberta.
"I am here to confirm North America's first human case of H5N1, also known as avian flu," Canada health minister Rona Ambrose told a press conference, confirming the patient died.
Officials said the victim, whose gender and other identifying traits were withheld to protect the family's privacy, had recently returned from a trip to China.
The otherwise healthy individual, who had travelled with two companions, was admitted to hospital with a fever and headache and passed away on January 3.
Officials stressed the risk to the population is "extremely low" as there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus.
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