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The person infected did not ‌exhibit ⁠flu-like respiratory symptoms and tests ⁠on direct contacts showed the swine flu virus had not retransmitted. Image for representative purposes only. | Photo Credit: Reuters Spain has alerted the World Health ​Organization of what it believes to be ‌a person-to-person transmission of the swine flu ​virus in its A(H1N1)v variant, a ⁠spokesperson for health authorities in the Catalonia region confirmed to Reuters on Friday (February 27, 2026).In a later statement, the ‌Catalan health department said the risk assessment for the population was considered “very ‌low”.The person infected did not ‌exhibit ⁠flu-like respiratory symptoms, it said, and tests ⁠on direct contacts showed the virus had not retransmitted.An earlier report by newspaper El Pais citing Catalan ​health department sources said the ‌patient — who has since recovered — had no contact with pigs or pig farms, leading experts to conclude it was a human-to-human ‌transmission of the pathogen.This set off ​alarm bells due to the pandemic potential of the swine flu virus ⁠if it recombines with a human flu virus, which could happen if a pig is ‌infected with both at the same time, the El Pais report added.The WHO did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.In 2023, the Netherlands notified the WHO of a confirmed human infection with ‌a swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus in an adult with ​no history of occupational exposure to animals.In 2009, the swine flu ⁠pandemic in humans infected millions of people. It was ⁠caused by a virus that contained genetic material from viruses that were ‌circulating in pigs, birds and humans. Published - February 27, 2026 07:52 pm IST