On Monday, UK public health officials verified the first human case of a swine flu virus similar to one that has been circulating among pigs.
The H1N2 virus variant was confirmed in a person who had been checked by their doctor after suffering respiratory symptoms.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), it has never been discovered in humans in the country.
“This is the first time we have detected this virus in humans in the UK, though it is very similar to viruses that have been detected in pigs,” said the agency’s incident director Meera Chand.
“We are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce any potential spread.”
The individual in question had a minor sickness and had fully recovered, according to the agency.
The source of their illness, on the other hand, remains unknown and is being examined.
Christine Middlemiss, the UKHSA’s chief veterinary officer, stated that veterinary and scientific knowledge is being supplied to aid the investigation.
In most parts of the world, influenza A(H1) viruses are prevalent in swine populations.
The predominant subtypes of swine influenza A viruses in pigs are H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2.
They infect people on occasion, mainly after direct or indirect contact with pigs or polluted settings.
The 2009 H1N1 pandemic was the first major influenza outbreak of the twenty-first century.
The Lancet medical journal then amended the official death toll of 18,500 to between 151,700 and 575,400 fatalities.