BARCELONA – Spain has alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) over what it believes to be a possible person-to-person transmission of the swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus variant, health authorities in Catalonia confirmed, according to a Reuters report.

In a subsequent statement, the Catalan health department said the risk to the general population remains “very low.”

Authorities said the infected individual did not exhibit flu-like respiratory symptoms and has since recovered. Tests conducted on the patient’s close contacts showed no further transmission of the virus.

Earlier, Spanish newspaper El País reported that the patient had no contact with pigs or pig farms, prompting experts to suspect human-to-human transmission of the virus. Typically, the A(H1N1)v variant is associated with swine exposure.

The report noted concerns among experts over the virus’s pandemic potential, particularly if it recombines with a human influenza virus. Such recombination can occur if a pig is simultaneously infected with both swine and human flu viruses, potentially creating a new strain capable of spreading widely among people.

The WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In 2023, the Netherlands also notified the WHO of a confirmed human infection with a swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus in an adult with no known occupational exposure to animals.

The 2009 global swine flu pandemic infected millions worldwide. The outbreak was caused by a virus containing genetic material from influenza strains circulating in pigs, birds, and humans, highlighting the risk posed by cross-species transmission and viral mutation.