2023-11-27 21:23:15
Published27. November 2023, 10:23 p.m
Great Britain: People fall ill with swine flu – authorities are fighting the spread
Experts are worried: For the first time, the H1N2 swine flu virus has spread to a human. Although the course was mild, the authorities want to prevent it from spreading.
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The H1N2 swine flu variant has spread to humans in Great Britain.
REUTERS/Jason Lee
Swine flu is highly contagious.
IMAGO/Pond5 Images
In 2009, a variant that could be transmitted from pigs to humans caused a stir.
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That’s what it’s about
The swine flu variant H1N2 has been detected in a human for the first time.
The British authorities now want to find all contacts of the sick person.
How the virus was able to spread is still under investigation.
An infection with a special swine flu virus has been detected in Great Britain. An infection with this H1N2 variant has never been recorded in the country before, the British health authority UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) announced on Monday. The pathogen is therefore somewhat different to that of other recent human cases, but is similar to the viruses in British pigs.
The Influenza A(H1N2)v pathogen was discovered in a single case as part of routine surveillance using a PCR test, the statement said. The affected person was tested for respiratory problems, had a mild course of the disease and has now completely recovered. The source of the infection was initially unknown.
Swine flu is a very common viral respiratory disease in pigs; the subtypes H1N1, H1N2, H3N2 and H3N1 are particularly important. H and N refer to the two proteins in the virus envelope: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Sometimes people become infected, which are usually harmless. However, they carry the risk that the virus will transform into a more dangerous pathogen that can be transmitted from person to person.
Search for the contact persons
The situation is being closely monitored and surveillance measures have been tightened in parts of North Yorkshire, according to the health authority UKHSA. “We are working quickly to identify close contacts and reduce potential transmission,” said Meera Chand, who is responsible for incidents at the UKHSA.
According to the UKHSA, there have been 50 recorded cases of influenza A(H1N2)v in humans worldwide since 2005. However, none of them were genetically related to the variant now found in Great Britain (1b.1.1). A variant of the H1N1 subtype spread from Mexico to many countries from 2009 onwards. After initial great concern, it soon became clear that the illnesses were, on average, milder than initially assumed.
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