Third case of rare swine flu variant found in southern Manitoba
A third case of a rare swine flu variant has been identified in southern Manitoba.
The variant Influenza H3N2 was detected earlier this month.
The person experienced mild symptoms and was initially tested for COVID-19.
That test came back negative, but further testing discovered the swine flu variant.
The province says the case appears to be isolated and there is no increased risk to people or the food supply chain.
Two other cases of different swine flu variants were identified in people in southern Manitoba in April.
The variants Influenza A H1N2 and A H1N1 also were detected after people were tested for COVID-19 after experiencing mild flu symptoms. Both of the people had had direct or indirect exposure to pigs.
The province says the three cases are unrelated.
There have been 29 cases globally of the H1N2 variant since 2005 when reporting became mandatory. The only other Canadian case was identified in Alberta last year.
The H1N1 variant is also rarely seen in humans. Manitoba's case is the second in Canada following one identified in Ontario in 2012. There were two cases in the United States earlier this year.
All the people have since recovered.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the H3N2 variant was first detected in people in 2011. It says the variant seems to spread more easily to humans from pigs than other swine influenza viruses.
Manitoba health officials and the Agriculture Department have begun a public health investigation to make sure there's no spread of the variant.
The viruses are not food-related and are not transmissible to people through pork meat or other products that come from pigs, the province says.
Health officials have said the cases could have coincidentally been discovered because of increased screening taking place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They say it's also possible there is a true increase in the number of cases.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.