26/03/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 25 March, the Italian health authorities reported a case of human infection by the avian influenza A(H9N2) virus in a traveller who had recently returned from a non-European country where this virus is circulating in birds. The case was detected in the Lombardy region and is the first human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) ever reported in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). The patient, who has several pre-existing medical conditions, is in hospital isolation and is receiving appropriate medical treatment. The Italian public health authorities immediately performed contact tracing to identify and prevent any onward transmission. “There is no need to panic”, said the European Commission. Since 1998, 195 human cases of infection by the A(H9N2) virus have been reported worldwide, mainly in Asia and Africa. Only two infections have been fatal. Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/lcm (LC)