It’s already been a highly successful year for pathogens—now another virus strain has been discovered by researchers in China who say it could well trigger another pandemic among humans. The Guardian reports that scientists have discovered is a new strain of swine flu called G4 that is descended from the H1N1 type that caused a pandemic back in 2009. A report from scientists at Chinese universities and China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the strain has “all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans.” The virus has already passed from animals to humans but there is, so far, no evidence that it can be passed from human to human like the novel coronavirus. However, scientists fear that type of infection is getting more and more likely. “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 scientists say urgent measures should be introduced to monitor the health of people who work with pigs.
