Experts and health authorities say that while the risk of human infection with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza remains low, people should avoid contact with sick or dead birds.

A teen in Canada may be the first person to catch an H5 bird flu virus within the country. Health officials are now working to confirm the diagnosis.

A Canadian teenager infected with bird flu — that country’s first case involving a locally acquired infection — is in critical condition and experiencing difficulty breathing, health officials said Tuesday.