This is out this morning. What the hell is wrong with that country: A new H1N1 swine flu with 'pandemic potential' has been found in China. Here's what we know
The Conversation
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By Ian M Mackay
Posted 3hhours ago, updated Yesterday
Antibody tests have picked up that some workers handling swine have been infected with a new H1N1 flu.(ABC Rural: Jon Daly)
Researchers have found a new strain of flu virus with "pandemic potential" in China that can jump from pigs to humans, triggering a suite of worrying headlines.
It's excellent this virus has been found early, and raising the alarm quickly allows virologists to swing into action developing new specific tests for this particular flu virus.
But it's important to understand that, as yet, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this particular virus. And while antibody tests found swine workers in China have had it in the past, there's no evidence yet that it's particularly deadly. What we know so far
China has a wonderful influenza surveillance system across all its provinces. They keep track of bird, human and swine flus because, as the researchers note in their paper, "systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is essential for early warning and preparedness for the next potential pandemic.
In their influenza virus surveillance of pigs from 2011 to 2018, the researchers found what they called "a recently emerged genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 virus." In their paper, they call the virus G4 EA H1N1. It has been ticking over since 2013 and became the majority swine H1N1 virus in China in 2018.
