Mexico City, April 9 || A three-year-old girl in western Mexico died after contracting avian influenza A (H5N1), becoming the country's first fatal human case of the disease, health authorities said.
The deceased patient tested positive on April 1 and died at 1:35 am local time (0735 GMT) on Tuesday due to respiratory complications caused by the infection.
Local authorities traced the patient's contacts and no additional human cases have been identified, news agency reported.
The bird flu is a viral disease that affects birds, mammals and occasionally humans, the ministry said.
Globally, 464 fatal human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus have been reported in 24 countries over the past two decades, according to the WHO.
A (H5N1) is one of several influenza viruses that causes a highly infectious respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or "bird flu"). Infections in mammals, including humans, have also been documented.
H5N1 influenza virus infection can cause a range of diseases in humans, from mild to severe and in some cases, it can even be fatal. Symptoms reported have primarily been respiratory, but conjunctivitis and other non-respiratory symptoms have also been reported. There have also been a few detections of A(H5N1) virus in persons who were exposed to infected animals or their environments but who did not show any symptoms.