Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Credit: World Health Organization)
Mexican Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer has refuted claims made by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the cause of death of a 59-year-old man in Mexico. The WHO had earlier announced that the man had succumbed to a new strain of bird flu that had not previously been found in humans.
During a morning briefing on Thursday, Alcocer vehemently denied the WHO’s announcement and clarified that the man died due to complications from kidney and respiratory failure, not from avian influenza, according to AA.
“I can point out that the statement made by the World Health Organization is pretty bad, since it speaks of a fatal case (of bird flu), which was not the case,” Alcocer said firmly.
The health secretary further suggested that the WHO failed to recognize that the patient’s death resulted from complications associated with longstanding health problems such as diabetes and renal failure. Investigations conducted found no evidence of contagion among people who had been in contact with the patient.
“So far, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission,” he added.
Further complicating matters, the WHO, in its own briefing, acknowledged that the Mexico National Influenza Centre confirmed a positive result for A(H5N2) influenza in the deceased. However, Alcocer announced plans to convene with the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases for further clarification.
The Gateway Pundit was among the first media outlets to criticize the situation as another instance of fearmongering.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about a new strain of bird flu, H5N2, that has apparently jumped to humans.
The announcement comes following the death of a 59-year-old man in Mexico, who was reportedly infected with this strain. However, given the timing and the details surrounding this case, it’s hard not to question whether we’re dealing with another episode of fear-mongering or a genuine public health concern.
The WHO’s press release paints a grim picture: a man with multiple underlying health conditions, bedridden for weeks before developing acute symptoms, tragically succumbs to this new strain of bird flu. Yet, it also states that the risk to the general population is assessed as low. So why the dramatic announcement and the global alert?
“On 23 May 2024, the Mexico IHR NFP reported to PAHO/WHO a confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N2) virus detected in a 59-year-old resident of the State of Mexico who was hospitalized in Mexico City and had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals. The case had multiple underlying medical conditions. The case’s relatives reported that the case had already been bedridden for three weeks, for other reasons, prior to the onset of acute symptoms,” according to WHO.
The man’s death is undoubtedly tragic, but it’s important to remember that he was already severely ill before contracting this virus. Moreover, no other cases have been reported during the epidemiological investigation.
Out of 17 contacts identified and monitored at the hospital where the patient died, only one reported a minor symptom – a runny nose. Furthermore, twelve additional contacts near the patient’s residence were tested and all found negative for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and influenza B.
It is also worth noting that this particular strain of bird flu was found in poultry farms in Mexico as early as March 2024. Yet, there has been no established link between these outbreaks and the human case reported by WHO.
The post CLOWNSHOW: Mexican Health Secretary Accuses WHO of Misinformation Over Alleged New Bird Flu Strain That Killed 59-Year-Old Man appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.