The first case of bird flu type A (H9N2) in a human in Europe was reported in Italy. The patient had returned from a country outside Europe where the virus had previously been detected in birds. The person is hospitalized and isolated in the Lombardy region. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported that the Italian Ministry of Health has contacted all relevant contacts of the patient. H9N2 is a strain of bird flu that has been reported in 195 cases in humans since 1998, mostly in Africa and Asia. This is the first human case of H9N2 in the European Economic Area (EEA).