Beijing

The next pandemic? A new strain of the H1N1 swine flu virus is spreading to humans in China, and scientists fear it could spark the next global pandemic. The variant, G4 EA H1N1, has been prevalent on pig farms in China for at least four years, and a new study suggests it can replicate efficiently in people’s airways. That study found that dozens of pig-farm workers have been infected with the virus, but none have developed the disease. A mutation, however, could make the flu turn deadly. “G4 viruses have all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus,” the researchers wrote, adding that measures to control the spread of the virus in pigs and humans “should be urgently implemented.” The H1N1 swine flu spread around the world in 2009, killing some 285,000 people.