The H5N1 avian flu, commonly referred to as the bird flu, has finally hit North America. On Wednesday, health officials confirmed that the first North American death from the virus came last week in Alberta, Canada.

According to Rona Ambrose, Health Minister of Canada, the victim of the virus recently spent time in Beijing, China.

"As Canada's Health Minister I want to reassure the public this is an isolated case," Ambrose said. "The risk of H5N1 to Canadians is very low. There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. It is also important for Canadians to know that this case is not part of the seasonal flu which circulates in Canada every year."

According to Ambrose, Canadians should not be worried about becoming infected by the avian flu.

The CDC says that United States residents are also at low risk for the disease, despite the virus making its way to Canada.

There are different types of avian flu viruses, and most do not have the ability to infect humans. H5N1, on the other hand, is zoonotic, which means that it can not only make humans sick, but can also kill them, CNN reports.

Most cases of H5N1 infection come from dealing with poultry, especially in northeastern Africa and Asia. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 648 humans have been infected with H5N1 since 2003. Most of the diseased had close contact with poultry.

Although it seems that H5N1 should not be a major concern for North Americans, it could still be useful to know the symptoms of the virus.

According to Flu.gov, symptoms of H5N1 include diarrhea, difficulty breathing, acute respiratory distress, abdominal pain and fever and cough. Additional symptoms could include general malaise, runny nose, muscle aches and sore throat, according to Medline Plus. Mayo Clinic says that symptoms typically appear after two to five days of being infected.