German nurse infected by flu patient

A nurse has contracted a new strain of Influenza A (H1N1) in Germany from a patient who had been in Mexico, the federal agency for infectious diseases said.

The nurse is the fourth confirmed case in Germany but the first of a human-to-human infection in Germany. So far, only Spain has reported a similar transmission in Europe.

The nurse, who has since recovered, contracted the flu at a Bavarian hospital, according to Joerg Hacker, head of the Robert Koch Institute.

All four German cases are what Hacker termed "mild". There are 12 other suspected cases. Five other suspected cases turned out to be negative, he added.

Mexico has reported 176 deaths from the new flu strain, but almost all infections outside Mexico have been mild and only one person has died outside Mexico: a toddler from Mexico who travelled to the United States.

"This has created a new situation," Hacker told a news conference. "The case (of the nurse) shows that it is likely there will be a further spread of the virus. It has the potential to spread."

The man who returned from Mexico was first in hospital with another ailment, Hacker said. Only later did he develop symptoms of the flu, also known as the H1N1 swine flu virus.

"We're expecting further suspected cases and further confirmed cases," Hacker said.