It reports that a swine flu virus is circulating in China that has the potential for pandemic spread in humans.

China discovers new swine flu with pandemic potentialChina discovers new swine flu with pandemic potentialCNN investigates Russia's claim of cutting-edge virus responseBolivia cancels school year for 2 million children due to Covid-19Uncertainty over how much protection Covid-19 antibodies offerHere's what happened to 2M doses of hydroxychloroquine the US sent BrazilLondon endured plagues, fires and wars. The number of pigs in China is falling rapidly due to an epidemic of African Swine Fever. "Careful monitoring of these viruses with pandemic potential," Petit added, "will drastically improve our preparedness and outcome for any future pandemic." Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published … Again, experts agree: Careful monitoring of the virus in pigs and human workers in the swine industry should continue, as well as limiting human exposure to animals possibly carrying the virus. Five genes of the G4 virus came from the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused the 2009 flu pandemic. By Jon Cohen Jun. It's affecting farmers and consumers across the world, because China produces half of …

Professor Carl Bergstrom at the University of Washington, an outspoken critic of misleading science and author of the book "Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World" has voiced that we are not facing the start of "a double pandemic" of COVID-19 and influenza, despite news headlines that have been suggesting otherwise. G4 was observed to be highly infectious, replicating in human cells and causing more serious symptoms in ferrets than other viruses. Ian M. Mackay, The University of Queensland.

meREWARDS lets you get coupon deals, and earn cashback when you complete surveys, dine, travel and shop with our partners WASHINGTON, DC: Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published on Monday (Jun 29) in the US science journal PNAS.Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009.It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans," say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention.From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces and in a veterinary hospital, allowing them to isolate 179 swine flu viruses.The majority were of a new kind which has been dominant among pigs since 2016.The researchers then carried out various experiments including on ferrets, which are widely used in flu studies because they experience similar symptoms to humans -- principally fever, coughing and sneezing.G4 was observed to be highly infectious, replicating in human cells and causing more serious symptoms in ferrets than other viruses.Tests also showed that any immunity humans gain from exposure to seasonal flu does not provide protection from G4.According to blood tests which showed up antibodies created by exposure to the virus, 10.4 percent of swine workers had already been infected.The tests showed that as many as 4.4 per cent of the general population also appeared to have been exposed.The virus has therefore already passed from animals to humans but there is no evidence yet that it can be passed from human to human - the scientists' main worry.

"It is of concern that human infection of G4 virus will further human adaptation and increase the risk of a human pandemic," the researchers wrote.The authors called for urgent measures to monitor people working with pigs. "The work comes as a salutary reminder that we are constantly at risk of new emergence of zoonotic pathogens and that farmed animals, with which humans have greater contact than with wildlife, may act as the source for important pandemic viruses," said James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University.A zoonotic infection is caused by a pathogen that has jumped from a non-human animal into a human.It looks like the email address you entered is not valid.Copyright© Mediacorp 2020. Other scientists have chimed in, urging the public not to panic about a second global outbreak. New type of swine flu found in China has human pandemic potential, researchers say. Chat with us in Facebook Messenger.

influenza spreading among pigs in China …

G4 swine flu viruses in China described in the PNAS report have a mix of genes from influenza viruses found in humans, birds and pigs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The outbreak prompted China to impose strict lockdowns nationwide, closing local and provincial borders and ordering residents to stay at home.The country began reopening in March after largely containing the virus -- but new outbreaks and local transmissions in recent weeks have seen some cities go back under lockdown. Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty

But the G4 virus kept showing up in pigs, year after year -- and even showed sharp increases in the swine population after 2016.Further tests showed that G4 can infect humans by binding to our cells and receptors, and it can replicate quickly inside our airway cells. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans," say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention.The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it would "read carefully" the study on the new virus, with a spokesman saying the findings highlighted the importance of the world not letting "our guard down on influenza. ABC’s Megan Tevrizian reports. This paper currently suggests that the viral key can open the cellular lock, but not very efficiently. Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

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We can imagine the virus is a "key" that needs to fit the "lock" on human cells in order to enter them more efficiently and cause robust infections.

Shutterstock. 29, 2020 , 3:00 PM. "The work comes as a salutary reminder that we are constantly at risk of new emergence of zoonotic pathogens and that farmed animals, with which humans have greater contact than with wildlife, may act as the source for important pandemic viruses," said James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University.A zoonotic infection is caused by a pathogen that has jumped from a non-human animal into a human.Be in the know. Based on laboratory transmission studies in ferrets, G4 viruses can spread via direct contact or via respiratory droplets. "There is no reason for panic and no imminent danger," tweeted Florian Krammer, microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp's partners. Some only showed up one year out of the program's seven, or eventually declined to nonthreatening levels. Dr. Chad Petit, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, used a "lock and key" analogy in explaining the virus strain during an interview with ABC News. Most were of a new kind that has been dominant among pigs since 2016.

"Until human-to-human spread of this virus occurs, we needn't jump the gun on [developing] yet another vaccine," Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital, told ABC News in an interview. SHARE THIS ARTICLE.