A case of A(H1N2)v infection, also known as Swine flu, was detected in the north of England, according to media reports. The last pandemic of the disease was in 2009 after a mass outbreak spread from birds and pigs to humans.
A new pandemic?
The discovery comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) requested China provide details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.
Authorities attributed the increase to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children, respiratory syncytial virus, and the virus that causes COVID-19.