Conversation

BREAKING: The teenager hospitalized in British Columbia with bird flu is in critical condition.

"This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions," said health officer Bonnie Henry in a news conference today. The teen was admitted with fever, cough and conjunctivitis and then rapidly developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In ARDS, fluid leaks into the air sacs of the lungs, impairing oxygenation.

The teen had no contact with farm animals.