Europe's first swine flu case

Europe's first confirmed case of swine flu has been diagnosed in Spain. The country's health ministry confirmed the news on Monday morning, after tests on a man who had recently returned from a trip to Mexico.

Reporter: Steve Kingstone in Madrid

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The patient is a twenty-three year old man from the province of Albacete in south-eastern Spain. He arrived home from Mexico with a fever last Wednesday and was isolated in a hospital ward on Saturday night. Confirming the diagnosis of swine flu, Spain's health minister, Trinidad Jimenez, said the man was being treated in accordance with World Health Organisation procedures and that his condition was not serious.

A further twenty suspected cases are under investigation in Spain, in locations ranging from Madrid to Mallorca, Barcelona to the Basque Country. The patients concerned had all recently returned from Mexico. None of the cases is thought to be life threatening.

The minister said it was now an 'urgent priority' for different regions of the country to share information. She stressed that Spain had sufficient supplies of anti-viral medicines.

Steve Kingstone, BBC News, Madrid

Listen to the words

patient
paciente

a fever
una fiebre

ward
sala (de hospital)

swine flu
gripe porcina

in accordance with
de acuerdo con

under investigation
están siendo investigadas

to be life threatening
ser peligro de muerte

urgent priority
prioridad

sufficient supplies
suficientes insumos

anti-viral
(medicamentos) antivirales