3-year-old girl dies in Mexico's 1st human case of H5N1 bird flu

A 3-year-old girl who became the country's first confirmed human case of H5N1 bird flu has died, health authorities said Tuesday.

On April 1, the National Institute for Diagnosis and Epidemiological Reference (InDRE) confirmed that the young girl from the western state of Durango had contracted the A(H5N1) strain of the virus.

She was quickly rushed to a specialized hospital in the neighboring state of Coahuila in critical condition.

"Early this morning, we received confirmation of the tragic death of the 3-year-old girl," Coahuila Health Secretary Eliud Aguirre said at a press conference.

The cause of death was ruled as multiple organ failure and respiratory failure.

Aguirre said the origin of the infection is still not known and authorities are continuing to monitor for further infections, though no additional cases of the virus have been seen so far.

Relatives of the girl as well as the medical staff who treated her remain under surveillance. Authorities have tested 38 people so far, all of whom have tested negative.

"We remain on alert and continue monitoring to ensure that no more cases appear, and to date, none have appeared, especially here in Coahuila," said Aguirre.

Last year, a 59-year-old man from the state of Mexico died from avian flu caused by the A(H5N2) strain.