A woman from British Columbia, confirmed as having the first case of the H7N9 bird flu in North America, is recovering well after treatment, according to health officials.

The woman recently visited China as did a male companion who may also have the H7N9 flu strain, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's deputy provincial health officer.

"It hasn't been confirmed yet but we believe that after the initial testing it will be the same result as in the case of the woman," Henry told China Daily in an interview.

Henry said the man and the woman – who were not identified by name - were not ill enough to be hospitalized and both are recovering well after treatment. All of the woman's close contacts have been identified and their health is being monitored by provincial public health authorities.

"We also have tested everyone the woman came into contact with after returning to Canada and there have been no additional cases," said Henry.

Henry said this virus has been around for about two years. Until now most of the 500 reported cases have been reported in China. The British Columbia woman returned to Canada on Jan 12 from China and began feeling ill on Jan 14. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to Canada's Public Health Agency.

Henry also said it is "highly unlikely" that this particular virus can be transferred from one human to another. "This is an avian or bird flu virus and that almost always means that you can only get the virus by coming into direct contact with poultry (or a bird) or bird feces," she added.

Health officials suspect that the woman and man may have been exposed to a common source of infection, such as waste at a live poultry market in China.

To date, the H7N9 strain has not been detected in birds in Canada. Canada does not import raw poultry or raw poultry products from China. This strain is also not similar to the H5N1 bird flu, a virus that last year infected and killed a young Alberta woman who had visited Beijing. H5N1 transmits more easily between birds, and between people, said Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada's chief public health officer in a report in the Vancouver Sun.

The virulent bird flu virus was recognized in 2013 in China, according to Hou Yunde, a virologist and academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. "It has replaced H5N1 since 2013 as the dominant bird flu virus causing infections in both birds and humans here," he said.

Bernhard Schwartlander, the World Health Organization's (WHO) China representative, said the WHO is not advising special screening for people entering Canada from China, nor does it recommend any travel restrictions after Canadian officials confirmed the H7N9 case.

"The risk of the virus spreading abroad is low, as there has been no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of (H7N9)," Schwartlander said.

After informing the WHO, Canada urged its citizens traveling to China to avoid contact with poultry and so-called wet markets, which sell and slaughter live poultry.

Shan Juan in Beijing contributed to this report.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com