MEXICO CITY, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A three-year-old girl in western Mexico died after contracting avian influenza A (H5N1), becoming the country's first fatal human case of the disease, health authorities said Tuesday.

The deceased patient tested positive on April 1 and died at 1:35 a.m. local time (0735 GMT) on Tuesday due to respiratory complications caused by the infection.

Local authorities traced the patient's contacts and no additional human cases have been identified.

The bird flu is a viral disease that affects birds, mammals and occasionally humans, the ministry said.

Globally, 464 fatal human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus have been reported in 24 countries over the past two decades, according to the WHO. Enditem

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