First swine flu case this year reported in U.S. child

CTVNEWS

First swine flu case this year reported in U.S. child

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, April 12, 2012 12:49PM EDT

Swine flu vaccines are seen at the Sanofi-Pasteur production plant in Val-de-Reuil, western Paris, in this photo taken Oct. 19, 2009. (AP / Jacques Brinon)

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TORONTO - After a lull of several months, U.S. officials are reporting a new case of human infection with a swine-origin H3N2 flu virus.

The case is in a child in Utah who had exposure to pigs.

It's the first case of the H3N2 variant flu reported this year and the 13th since this particular virus started sporadically causing human infections last summer.

All but one of those cases have been seen in children under the age of 18 and all have been spotted in the United States.

The child has recovered after having been treated with the flu drug Tamiflu.

Flu experts are keeping a close eye on this virus, which contains a gene from the 2009 pandemic virus that is believed to enhance its ability to infect people.