A three-year-old girl died in Torreón, Coahuila after contracting the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case becomes the first recorded human infection in Mexico. Although the authorities are trying to calm the public, the handling of the case has left more doubts than certainties.
The girl was transferred from Durango in critical condition and died after several days hospitalized.
The Health Secretariat confirmed the death on April 8, after the girl remained hospitalized in the High Specialty Medical Unit of IMSS No. 71.
Her death was the result of multiorgan failure due to the infection. Despite the seriousness of the case the federal response was lukewarm and full of euphemisms.
A tragedy treated as “minor incident”
The Health Secretary of Coahuila confirmed the case. But he hastened to declare that there is no evidence of transmission between people. He stated that tests were conducted on 38 close contacts.
That all tested negative. The official narrative points to an “isolated case”... although it has not been explained how the infection occurred.
The secrecy of the institutions combined with the lack of timely data. Once again shows a worrying pattern: minimizing health crises instead of addressing them with transparency.
