This news hasn't received much media attention.
A human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) infection in a returning traveller from a non-European country where the virus has previously been identified in birds, has been reported in the Lombardy region of Italy. This is the first human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) reported in the EU/EEA.
The patient has co-existing medical conditions and is currently in hospital isolation, receiving medical treatment. Italian public health authorities performed contact tracing as a precaution to identify and control possible onward transmission and initiated several epidemiological and microbiological investigations.
Since 1998, and as of 27 February 2026, 195 human cases of A(H9N2) had been reported worldwide by 10 countries in Asia and Africa. Only two infections were fatal. No clusters of human influenza A(H9N2) infections, nor documented instances of person-to-person transmission, have ever been reported. Direct contact with infected birds or contaminated environments has been the most likely source of human infection for avian influenza viruses. Sporadic human cases of avian influenza are not unexpected in areas where the virus is circulating in birds. [emphasis added]
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