There is now one confirmed case of ‘swine flu’ in Spain and a further twenty-six people are under observation throughout the country.
The suspected cases are in Cataluña (10), Comunidad de Madrid (4), Andalucía (2), Baleares (2), Castilla y León (1), Aragón (1), Asturias (1) Castilla-La Mancha (1), Murcia (1), Pais Vasco (1), La Rioja (1) and Galicia (1).
The Minister of Health, Trinidad Jiménez, said the outbreak could now be described as an ‘epidemic’ but not yet as ‘pandemic’. The Minister also stated that Spain is prepared to combat any outbreak, having stockpiled some 10 million doses of vaccine in case of an ‘avian flu’ pandemic. The vaccine would apparently be effective against the current flu strain.