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British Columbia health officials have yet to identify a likely source of the infection, though none of the teen's contacts have tested positive for the virus so far.

A Canadian teenager is hospitalized in critical condition with suspected bird flu, health officials reported Tuesday.

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said on Saturday. The teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or animal and was receiving care at a children's hospital, the province said in a statement.

Canada has reported H5N1 bird flu in wildlife and domestic birds. This year, there have been at least 24 reports of the virus in domestic bird facilities, including at least 10 infected premises in BC in October, according to data from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

"We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in B.C.," British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said in a statement.

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.

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.