New swine flu found in pigs in China has ‘pandemic potential’ and it could infect humans, scientists say
A NEW strain of swine flu found in pigs in China has the potential to spread to humans and unleash another pandemic, researchers have warned.
It is feared the bug could mutate and spread easily from pigs to people, spreading through the human population, triggering a global outbreak like Covid-19.
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Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say pigs are a "key intermediate host" or "mixing vessel" for viruses which could spread from wild animals into humans.
They are concerned about the latest strain, G4 EA H1N1, because it has "all the hallmarks" of being highly adapted to infect humans.
The researchers said there was some evidence suggesting it could already have infected people who worked in abattoirs and the swine industry in China.
The scientists said: "All of this evidence indicates that G4 EA H1N1 virus is a growing problem in pig farms, and the widespread circulation of G4 viruses in pigs inevitably increases their exposure to humans."
We must not lose sight of potentially dangerous new viruses
Prof Kin-Chow Chang
It’s believed 1918 Spanish flu's H1N1 virus, which caused tens of millions of deaths, was transmitted from pigs to humans in America and then spread to a nearby army camp.
Troops from here then shipped out to France to fight in World War One, where the disease spread throughout the continent and then the world.
The last pandemic flu the world encountered was the swine flu outbreak of 2009 that began in Mexico.
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But the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak was less deadly than initially feared, largely because many older people had some immunity.
This is probably because of its similarity to other flu viruses that had circulated years before.
Yet it is feared people might not have the same immunity to G4 EA H1N1
The bug can grow and multiply in the cells that line the human airways.
Prof Kin-Chow Chang, from Nottingham University in the UK, told the : "Right now we are distracted with coronavirus and rightly so.
"But we must not lose sight of potentially dangerous new viruses."