Severe symptoms reported in Ecuador's H5 avian flu case Lisa Schnirring Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Garrett Heath / Flickr cc Share The 9-year-old girl reported last week as representing Ecuador's first human H5 avian flu case has a severe infection and remains hospitalized, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an outbreak notice. Her illness marked the seventh human infection from the current H5 clade and is the third to be reported as severe. The four other infections were mild.