The United Kingdom announced on Monday (27) that it had detected the first human case of the Coronavirus strain Influenza A (H1N2), which is similar to the one caused by a virus currently circulating among pigs, and the individual in question had mild illness and made a full recovery.
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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the case was discovered as part of routine national surveillance for influenza and that the source of infection was unknown.
Meera Chand, incident director at UKHSA, said: “This is the first time we have detected this virus in humans in the UK, although it is very similar to the viruses we have detected in pigs.”
The statement said that health authorities are monitoring close contacts of the case, adding that the situation is being closely monitored in surgeries and hospitals in North Yorkshire, a region in northern England.
In 2009, the human swine flu pandemic infected millions of people. It was caused by a virus containing genetic material from viruses that spread in pigs, birds and humans.
Based on preliminary information, the infection recently discovered in the UK differs from around 50 other human cases of the variant found elsewhere in the world since 2005, the UKHSA said.
