In China, researchers have discovered a new type of swine flu that could trigger a pandemic. The G4 virus has all the essential properties to infect humans.
That’s how it is in her study in the specialist magazine PNAS to read. G4 is derived from the H1N1 virus that caused a pandemic in 2009. Between 2011 and 2018, 30,000 swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses were taken in ten Chinese provinces for the study. The researchers were able to isolate 179 different swine flu viruses. Most of them belonged to the new G4 type, which has been occurring increasingly in pigs since 2016. The researchers then carried out experiments on ferrets. They were able to observe that G4 is highly infectious, multiplies in human cells and causes more serious symptoms in ferrets than other viruses.
Further research has shown that seasonal flu or common flu vaccinations do not make people immune to G4. Antibody tests also showed that around ten percent of workers in pig factories and around four percent of the population had already been exposed to the virus.
Is the next pandemic imminent?
The science journalist Volkart Wildermuth warned against scaremongering according to the current information available from experts. While it is inevitable that there will always be new pandemics, he said on Deutschlandfunk. But nobody can say at the moment whether the new influenza virus called G4 could be the trigger.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, it repeatedly happens that swine flu viruses also infect people and trigger symptoms. A research group from the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut had also just researched the situation in stables in Europe – with observations comparable to those in China. The decisive factor is whether the viruses are effectively spread from person to person, such as the swine flu H1N1 in 2009. And whether they often lead to serious illnesses.
According to Wildermuth, this is currently not evident in the G4, nor in the European or swine flu viruses on other continents. Nevertheless, he advises vigilance: there is every reason to closely monitor the situation in the stables in China and elsewhere in order to quickly identify unfavorable developments.
Kekulé also warns of scaremongering
The virologist Alexander Kekulé also warned in his MDR-Podcast before scaremongering. The new swine flu virus “has what it takes for a new pandemic”, but the risks are currently still very manageable. Nevertheless, the proactive warning from the researchers should be commended. China had previously been criticized for reporting the spread of the coronavirus far too late. With a view to the potential spread of new viruses, Kekulé urged that the relationship to animal breeding be reviewed in general. Swine flu, corona and Ebola are all pandemics that have arisen from the transfer from animal to human.
Further articles on the corona virus
We have a News blog created. In view of the large amount of information, it provides an overview of the most important current developments.
Vacation and leisure
+ Vacation: Tent, caravan, holiday home: what vacation 2020 could look like
+ Travel: The current regulations in Germany
+ On the go: Which rules apply on the train and in the plane
+ Tourism: Travel customers can continue to request money back
Coronavirus pandemic numbers and data
+ Current developments: Corona virus numbers in Germany
+ Germany: Why the death rate from the corona virus is comparatively low in Germany
+ Undetected infected: The number of unreported cases of coronavirus infections
+ Mortality: How Deadly is the Corona Virus Really?
+ What numbers we give about the corona virus and why
Illness and protection
Prevention: As is currently the case with a second wave of the corona virus
+ Tests: How useful are corona mass tests for everyone?
+ Children: What about the risk of infection and spread among them
+ Droplet infection or suspended particles: What role do aerosol particles play in transmission?
+ Spread: How dangerous are super spreaders in the corona pandemic?
+ Vaccination: That is the research
+ Treatment: How far is the search for drugs against Covid-19?
+ Face masks: What you should know about protective masks
+ Shopping cart and co .: How long the corona virus stays on surfaces
Fake news, conspiracy theories, scaremongering
+ Swine flu: warning of new pathogen from China – is the next pandemic at risk?
+ Common allegations: How Bill Gates became the target of conspiracy theorists
You can also find the Dlf news on Twitter at: @DLFnews.
–
