A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China.
Scientists in the country say the virus has been found in pigs but can infect humans.
After the publication of the study, a biologist has said that there is no ‘imminent threat’ or risk of a new pandemic but it must be watched closely.
Researchers say the strain of flu, named G4 EA H1N1, is similar to the swine flu that caused a pandemic in 2009 and possesses “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus”.
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 between 2011 and 2018.
Writing in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they say there is a risk of viruses crossing from animals to humans – especially in densely-populated areas in China where millions of people live near to farms, slaughterhouses and wet markets.
It also adds that measures to control the virus in pigs, and the close monitoring of swine industry workers, should be implemented quickly.
“Such infectivity greatly enhances the opportunity for virus adaptation in humans and raises concerns for the possible generation of pandemic viruses,” it says in the study.
“Systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is essential for early warning and preparedness for the next potential pandemic.
“Close monitoring in human populations, especially the workers in the swine industry, should be urgently implemented.”
The swine flu pandemic lasted from early 2009 to late 2010 and is believed to have infected around 700 million to 1.4 billion people – around 11 to 21 per cent of the world’s population.
The number of fatalities from the illness, which originated in Mexico, is believed to be between 150,000 and 575,000, meaning the virus had a relatively low mortality rate.
