Health officials say infection is low-risk, with no evidence of person-to-person transmission.

On Wednesday, Italy’s Health Ministry confirmed the detection of the first human case of avian influenza A (H9N2) documented in Europe. The case occurred in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy.

The patient is a vulnerable individual with preexisting conditions who contracted the infection in a non-EU country before traveling to Italy and is currently hospitalized.

Health authorities said the virus is of animal origin with low pathogenicity and that, based on available information to date, transmission occurs through direct exposure to infected poultry or to contaminated environments and materials.

The Italian Health Ministry noted that human cases detected globally so far have been characterized by mild symptoms and stressed that “person-to-person transmission has never been reported” for this variant.

Following the identification of the case, standard surveillance and prevention protocols were activated, and all close contacts of the patient have been identified for monitoring.

The Italian Health Ministry coordinated the response with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the national reference laboratory experts group, while keeping relevant international organizations informed. Authorities said no critical situations have been detected and that developments are being constantly monitored.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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