By Niamh Harris – The People’s Voice
The Mexican government has denied claims by the World Health Organization that one of its citizens died of H5N2 bird flu.
Last week the WHO reported that a Mexican man was was the world’s first fatal case of the bird flu strain in humans.
On Friday Mexico’s health ministry said that the 59-year-old man’s death was due to chronic conditions that led to septic shock, and was not attributed to the virus.
Jore Alcocer, head of the country’s Ministry of Health, said the man suffered from chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, all of which could have influenced or caused his death. He had been bedridden for weeks before dying.
The Health Secretary also reassured the Mexican people not to panic or to avoid consuming chicken in any form.
The press conference came on the same day as the WHO said the man died after developing nausea, shortness of breath and diarrhea. The man had not been exposed to poultry or other animals before developing his symptoms.
The organization also claimed that the case had been confirmed by a laboratory.
Amid widening fears about a possible bird-flu pandemic, countries around the world are stockpiling vaccines.
The US government is also poised to invest millions of dollars in the development of new vaccines to combat the virus. The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is set to reach an agreement with Moderna to fund human trials for its experimental mRNA bird-flu vaccine. As part of the deal, the US government would commit to stockpiling millions of the vaccines if the human trials are successful.