MADRID (Reuters) – Two Spanish poultry have tested positive for bird flu following an outbreak in poultry, in what appears to be the first known human infection in Spain and the moment in Europe since 2003, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
The poultry outbreak was shown to the government on Sept. 20 and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission linked to the event to date, the WHO said.
Influenza A (H5N1) infections were detected in the two staff members, men aged 19 and 27 years and older, in September and October, most likely caused by exposure to inflamed poultry or infected environments on the farm in Guadalajara, central Spain.
Both men had no symptoms and were isolated until they tested negative. After the poultry outbreak, all farms and their close contacts were analyzed.
Spain’s fitness ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Avian influenza infections in humans can range from asymptomatic or mild respiratory tract infections to immediate progression to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, surprise, and even death.
From 2003 to 21 October 2022, a total of 868 human cases have been reported, the two cases in Spain, and 456 international deaths in 21 countries, according to WHO.
A total of 3 humans of infection, one case in the UK in 2021 and both in Spain in 2022, have been reported in Europe to date, he said.
The reports from those two bodies replace existing WHO recommendations on public fitness measures and influenza surveillance, the organization said.
(Reporting via Joan Faus, editing by Andrei Khalip, Alexandra Hudson)
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