A Man Dies From A Novel Bird Flu Strain, Sparking Conspiracy Theories

(PatriotWise.com) — A Mexican man with a history of health problems died in April from bird flu, and thus far, the World Health Organization has not determined the source of exposure.

The WHO said in a statement last week that while the A(H5N2) virus has been reported in Mexican poultry, it was unclear how the man contracted the virus.

The 59-year-old man was hospitalized in April and subsequently developed a fever, diarrhea, nausea, and shortness of breath before he died on April 24, making him the first confirmed human case of the A(H5N2) virus in the world and the first H5 avian virus case reported in Mexico, according to the WHO.

Unsurprisingly, the usual social media conspiracy theorists landed on the story to claim that the death of the Mexican man was an orchestrated plot to interfere with the November election or to force Americans to go back to pandemic-era lockdowns.

The outbreak of conspiracy theories over bird flu is nothing new. The same thing happened in 2022 after many US poultry farms were wiped out during an outbreak of bird flu.

According to the WHO, the case in Mexico is unrelated to the H5N1 outbreak that hit the United States in March and has so far infected three farm workers.

The Mexican man did not work with poultry and had no history of being exposed to any animals or poultry. However, the WHO said that he suffered from multiple underlying medical issues and had been bedridden for weeks before the onset of A(H5N2) symptoms.

According to the Mexican health ministry, the man suffered from type-2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Johns Hopkins University influenza expert Andrew Pekosz said the man’s preexisting health issues would put him at risk for a more severe case of influenza of any kind. At the same time, the underlying health issues would not explain how he was exposed to A(H5N2) in the first place, Pekosz said.

Avian flu has been found in mammals like cattle, raccoons, bears, and even seals, mostly due to contact with infected birds.

The three farm workers in the US who contracted H5N1 were exposed to infected cattle during an outbreak in March. While one of the farmworkers suffered from respiratory symptoms, the other two had symptoms of conjunctivitis. All three survived.