New Flu Virus Found in China with Pandemic Potential

In China scientists have reported a new form of flu virus that has the ability to become a pandemic. This has recently appeared and is borne by pigs however, they note, will affect humans. The researchers are worried that it could further mutate so that it can quickly spread from person to person, and cause a global epidemic. 

They said the current strain of flu, named “G4 EA H1N1,” is a variant of swine flu, which contains the “G4′′ genotype that has predominated in swine populations since 2016. 

As with swine flu, the latest strain has been described as possessing “all of a potential pandemic virus’ important hallmarks. A poor new form of influenza is among the main disease risks watched by scientists, just though the planet is working to stop the latest coronavirus pandemic. 

Scientists claim the existing swine flu vaccine will not seem to operate against it, but may be modified to do so if appropriate. The virus, named G4 EA H1N1 by the researchers, will emerge and spread in the cells lining the human airways. 

When they looked at data from 2011 to 2018, they found evidence of recent infection in people who worked in abattoirs and the swine industry in China. Current flu vaccinations do not seem to defend against influenza, but they can be modified to do so as appropriate.