Avian flu typically spreads between wild and domestic birds but can spread to other animals and people. There have now been more than 40 confirmed human cases in the United States, according to the Centre for Disease Control,

Federal health officials have confirmed that a B.C. teen who is currently in hospital has Canada's first human case of H5N1 avian flu.

A teenager in British Columbia was hospitalized in critical condition with the disease, and officials were working to find out how the person was exposed to the virus.