QUITO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A nine-year-old girl in central Ecuador has been infected with the A-H5 strain of avian influenza, becoming the first human infected with the avian flu strain in the country, the Ecuadoran Ministry of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday.
The case, which was reported in the central province of Bolivar, has presumably occurred through direct contact with birds that carried the virus, said the ministry.
"So far no other cases of human infection have been recorded," said the ministry, adding that measures are kept in place to prevent the transmission and spread of the avian influenza virus.
Ecuador declared a 90-day animal health emergency on Nov. 30, 2022, after the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was detected in poultry farms.
Vaccinations against human influenza have been carried out among people in contact with poultry and the population have been advised to use masks. ■
