Italy Reports First Swine Flu Case Not Contracted Overseas

Italy on Saturday reported its first case of swine flu contracted in the country by a person who had not travelled to Mexico or the United States, the news agency ANSA said, quoting the health ministry.

The man, 70, who had been hospitalised in Rome was the grandfather of an 11-year-old boy who recently returned from Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak. The boy was also in hospital in Rome after being diagnosed with the A(H1N1) virus.

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The ministry described the case as one of "family infection" adding that similar cases had "already occurred in other countries."

The infection was the eighth to be detected in Italy, the report said.

Earlier, the Italian government recommended that nationals returning from Mexico stayed at home for seven days as a precaution.

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Three countries have now confirmed 48 deaths from the virus including 45 people in Mexico, two in the US and one in Canada.

Source-AFP
SRM

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