A new strain of the H1N1 swine flu virus that can potentially trigger a pandemic has been discovered by researchers in China. The virus has not yet shown evidence of human-to-human transmission though.
A new strain of the H1N1 swine flu virus that can potentially trigger a pandemic has been discovered by researchers in China. The virus has not yet shown evidence of human-to-human transmission though.
Named G4 EA H1N1, the virus is similar to the swine flu that caused a pandemic in 2009 and possesses "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus", according to the authors of the study.
Scientists at Chinese universities and China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected the new virus after analysing 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces.
They found the new strain has been predominant among pigs since 2016. One in 10 pig farm workers tested also showed elevated levels of the virus in their blood, particularly those aged 18 to 35 years old.
The researchers said they are concerned the virus could mutate so that it can pass from human to human and spark a global outbreak.
Named G4 EA H1N1, the virus is similar to the swine flu that caused a pandemic in 2009 and possesses "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus", according to the authors of the study.
Scientists at Chinese universities and China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected the new virus after analysing 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces.
They found the new strain has been predominant among pigs since 2016. One in 10 pig farm workers tested also showed elevated levels of the virus in their blood, particularly those aged 18 to 35 years old.
The researchers said they are concerned the virus could mutate so that it can pass from human to human and spark a global outbreak.