BC teen with Canada's first case of avian flu released after weeks in hospital

The British Columbia teenager who contracted Canada's first human case of H5N1, better known as avian flu, has been released after weeks in hospital.

The unnamed girl was first admitted to BC Children's in November after contracting the disease.

According to the Provincial Health Services Authority, the teen was discharged from hospital on Tuesday January 7. That update came a week after it was revealed in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine that she was no longer on supplemental oxygen and had removed from the intensive care unit.

"This has been a life changing experience for our daughter and for our family, and we are grateful to have her home with us," the patient's family wrote in a statement, per CityNews. "We thank everyone for their concern and wishes for our daughter and our family throughout this ordeal. Respectfully, we ask for privacy as she continues to heal and we rebuild our lives after this traumatic experience."

In November, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, the investigation found that the teen was infected with Clade 2.3.4.4b, Genotype D1.1, the same strain of flu currently making its way through the bird community in BC. Testing done by the BC Centre for Disease Control's Public Health Laboratory showed that it matched the strain in wild birds of the Fraser Valley, not those in poultry farms.

She urged people to protect themselves against potential exposure by keeping up to date with flu vaccines, refraining from touching sick or dead animals and faeces, and keeping pets away from such things as well.