O Ministry of Health of Catalonia confirms a case of swine flu in a human, in Lleida. The origin of the infection is still unknown and the government did not detect other cases, ending up considering the risk to the population “very low”.
The Ministry of Health of Catalonia, in Spain, warned this Friday of a case of swine flu in a human, in Lleida. The Catalan government has not detected any more positive cases and considers the risk to the population “very low”.
The Catalan Government communicated the case to the European authorities and the World Health Organization () about the detection of the case in an 83-year-old person, whose source of contagion is still unknownadvances the newspaper
Esteve Fernández, Secretary of Public Health of the Generalitat, explained that the case was detected on February 11, “as part of the epidemiological surveillance of flu viruses in a patient resident in the province of Lleida who had visited a health center for other pathologies”.
After tests were carried out, health professionals confirmed that it was a human case of swine flu A(H1N1). The diagnosis “immediately activated the epidemiological surveillance, microbiology and institutional communication circuits, initiating a complete investigation”, added Fernández.
As far as we know, the patient who has already recovered had no contact with pigs or pig farms. The researchers admit that the patient may have been infected by another asymptomatic person who, in turn, would have contracted the virus from a pig or a third person. The studies carried out did not identify any more cases in the Lleida area.
“No alarm should be generated”
The situation triggered alarms due to the pandemic potential of the swine flu virus. Os experts continue to monitor the situation, appealing to tranquility of the population. The swine flu virus has sporadically caused infections in humans, which in most cases result in mild symptoms. The risk to the population continues to be considered “currently very low”says the Catalan government.
AND “It is important to know how these viruses with pandemic potential circulate and evolve to be better prepared for any future scenario,” he said. María Montoya, PhD student in Biochemistry at the Margarita Salas Biological Research Center, of the Superior Council for Scientific Research ().
In turn, Pedro Gullón, general director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, declared that “These are sporadic cases that also occur in other countriesso no alarm should be generated.”
What is the H1N1 virus?
H1N1 is a subtype of the Influenza A virus, also known as “swine flu”, it is a respiratory virus that causes symptoms similar to those of seasonal flu. This infectious agent is transmitted through respiratory droplets.
As a rule, people recover from the virus within one to two weeks, but there are certain dangers for elderly people, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses.
