According to the regional government of Catalonia, additional tests are being conducted at the WHO reference laboratory for influenza in the United Kingdom to confirm the diagnosis and rule out possible laboratory contamination or external interference.
Esteve Fernandez, head of Catalonia’s public health department, emphasized that the risk of transmission to other people is “very low” and sought to reassure the public. He noted that the infected individual did not exhibit typical flu-like respiratory symptoms, and testing of close contacts did not confirm further transmission of the virus.
Spain is one of Europe’s leading pork producers. Authorities initially ruled out the possibility that the patient had been infected through direct contact with pigs. However, while human-to-human transmission cannot be entirely excluded, it has not been officially confirmed.
Experts note that swine influenza is common among pig populations, but human infections are rare, and transmission between humans is even rarer. A WHO spokesperson confirmed receipt of the notification from Spain and highlighted that this is the fourth human case of A(H1N1)v reported in the country since 2009.
The case was also discussed by international influenza experts during a meeting in Turkey, where global influenza surveillance data were reviewed.
In 2023, the Netherlands notified the WHO of a confirmed human infection with a swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus in an adult with no occupational exposure to animals. The 2009 swine flu pandemic infected millions of people worldwide and was caused by a virus containing genetic material from influenza viruses circulating in pigs, birds, and humans.
PigUA.info based on materials from thepigsite.com