Experts and health authorities say that while the risk of human infection with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza remains low, people should avoid contact with sick or dead birds.

On Nov. 13, the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg confirmed that the teen in B.C. has a human case of avian influenza.

Based on current evidence, the risk of avian influenza infection for the public remains low. The risk of bird flu infection is higher for those who have unprotected exposure to infected animals, PHAC said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also been testing milk for signs of H5N1 in dairy cows. Canada has had no cases of H5N1 reported in dairy cattle. There's also no evidence of bird flu in samples of commercial milk. "Milk and milk products that have been pasteurized are safe to consume," the Public Health Agency of Canada said.

A Canadian teenager infected with bird flu — that country’s first case involving a locally acquired infection — is in critical condition and experiencing difficulty breathing, health officials said Tuesday.

Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in American dairy herds and poultry flocks, Canadian officials have announced that a teen in British Columbia has been hospitalized in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu.

Initial testing had indicated the teenager’s infection was from bird flu and was confirmed in further testing, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement. The teen has been hospitalized in Vancouver since Friday and was reported in critical condition on Tuesday.

A teenager in Canada is critically ill with the country's first human case of H5N1 bird flu. Health officials aren't sure how the youth was exposed.