News outlets cover what’s said to be the first time a flu strain normally found in pigs has infected people in the United Kingdom. But the story is fuzzy: Authorities, for example, don’t know how the patient became infected and do not know if there is community spread of this exact type of porcine flu.
Bloomberg:
UK Finds First Human Infection With Swine Flu Virus Variant
UK health officials have reported a person with a flu strain typically found in pigs, marking the first time this variant has been detected in a human in the country. The UK Health Security Agency is working to determine any risks the pathogen might pose to human health, it said in a statement Monday. The person experienced only a mild illness and has fully recovered, according to the agency. (Fourcade, 11/27)
Reuters:
Britain Detects First Human Case Of Flu Strain Similar To Pig Virus
The individual concerned had experienced a mild illness and fully recovered. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the case was detected as part of routine national flu surveillance and the source of infection was not known. (11/27)
Fortune:
The UK Has Detected Its First Human Case Of A New Type Of Swine Flu. What You Need To Know
Authorities are unsure of how the UK patient became infected, leaving open the possibility that the virus is spreading in the community. And mild symptoms in one patient isn’t a guarantee of mild symptoms in others, if they become infected, experts tell Fortune. … The infection marks the first time the exact type of H1N2 virus has been detected in humans, though an incredibly similar strain has been detected in area pigs. There have been a total of 50 human cases of H1N2 reported globally since 2005. But none are genetically related to the clade, or subgroup, just detected in the U.K.: 1b.1.1. (Prater, 11/27)
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