New ‘pandemic virus’ in China raises alarm
BEIJING: New research in China has revealed a variant of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published in US science journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.
The new influenza variant has been named G4 and is genetically linked and descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic that killed thousands in 2009. It possesses “all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans,” said the authors, who are scientists at Chinese universities and at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The virus is a unique blend of three lineages: one similar to strains found in European and Asian birds, the H1N1 strain that caused the 2009 pandemic, and a North American H1N1 that has genes from avian, human, and pig influenza viruses,” the American Association for the Advances of Sciences (AAAS) said in a report on the findings.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China was closely following developments.
The WHO will read the Chinese study carefully, spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a Geneva briefing on Tuesday, saying it was important to collaborate on findings and keep tabs on animal populations.
BEIJING: New research in China has revealed a variant of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published in a US science journal.
The new influenza variant has been named G4 and is genetically linked and descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic that killed thousands in 2009. It possesses “all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans,” said the authors, who are scientists at Chinese universities and at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. “The virus is a unique blend of three lineages: one similar to strains found in European and Asian birds, the H1N1 strain that caused the 2009 pandemic, and a North American H1N1 that has genes from avian, human, and pig influenza viruses,” the American Association for the
Advances of Sciences said in a report on the findings.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, when asked to comment on the study at a press meet on Tuesday, said China was closely following developments. “We will take all necessary measures to prevent the spread and outbreak of any virus,” he said.
The WHO will read the Chinese study carefully, spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a Geneva briefing on Tuesday, saying it was important to collaborate on findings and keep tabs on animal populations.
“It also highlights we cannot let our guard down on influenza and need to be vigilant and continue surveillance even in the coronavirus pandemic.”
A team led by Liu Jinhua from the China Agricultural University analysed nearly 31,000 nasal swabs taken from pigs between 2011 and 2018. The swabs yielded 179 swine influenza viruses, the vast majority of which were G4 or one of five other G strains from the Eurasian avian like lineage.