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.

Listen to the story

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
someone who is suffering from an illness or disease and is being treated for it

a fever
unusually high body temperature caused by an infection

ward
one of the parts or rooms into which a hospital is divided

swine flu
a respiratory disease caused by influenza type A which normally infects pigs. Symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu (fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue)

in accordance with
as instructed by

under investigation
being looked at/examined

to be life threatening
to be severe enough to cause death

urgent priority
something that is so important that it cannot be delayed

sufficient supplies
enough

anti-viral
that can fight harmful viruses

Read more about this story

To take away
Download or print (37 K)