Second case of bird flu in North America confirmed

North America now has a second case of bird flu, as a Canadian man tested positive for the virus Thursday, according to a report from The Canadian Press.

A Canadian woman became the continent's first confirmed case of H7N9 bird flu earlier this week, and the man who was diagnosed Thursday is her husband, according to the report.

The pair likely contracted the illness on a recent trip to China, where hundreds of people have contracted the illness.

H7N9 is a subtype of flu virus that is found in birds and doesn't usually infect humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first instance of the strain in humans was found in 2013 in China.

The two Canadian patients did not need to be hospitalized as a result of their illness. However, about a third of the people with this strain of bird flu have died, according to The Canadian Press.

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