Mexico has reported its first human death from H5N1 bird flu, a three-year-old girl from the state of Coahuila. Health officials announced she succumbed early Tuesday morning, suffering from multiple organ failure caused by the virus. The child's case was confirmed as the first human infection in the country after she was hospitalized according to HuffPost.

Initially, the girl had received anti-flu treatment but remained critically ill until her passing. Following her diagnosis, health officials promptly began testing close contacts, with no additional infections detected thus far. Coahuila Health Minister Eliud Aguirre stated, “We are monitoring all individuals who had close contact with the patient and conducting tests to determine if they are infected” Reuters reported.

The specific origin of the infection remains unknown, though there is active testing of wild birds near her home. Health officials indicated that the overall risk to the general public is considered low. Globally, H5N1 cases are predominantly linked to exposure to infected birds, with the World Health Organization noting high mortality rates in human cases CBS News.

This incident is part of a worrying trend as the H5N1 virus has been spreading across animal populations in recent years, with more than 70 documented cases in humans reported in the United States within the past year, according to the World Health Organization.

Further investigations are ongoing to track the outbreak, with health officials remaining vigilant to prevent any future cases Le Monde.