Watch out for a new swine flu that raises the alarm and threatens the world

Salwa Azzam2020-07-01Last update: 2020-07-01

While the world is still struggling novel coronavirus, Fearing an upcoming second wave of the epidemic that claimed the lives of more than half a million people, he was shocked by other news coming from China reports the emergence of another disease.

Serious swine flu

After Chinese scientists announced the emergence of a new virus called G4 EA H1N1, describing the disease as a new strain of influenza transmitted from pigs to humans, and stressing that humans do not have immunity against it yet, the World Health Organization also sounded the bell, and announced that it would “carefully read” the reports from the study. Coming from the billionth country.

In the details, a spokesperson for the organization stated that the emergence of the virus discovered in pigs in slaughterhouses in China showed that the world must remain alert to new diseases even while it continues to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, according to the British newspaper The Independent, on Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, a study published in the American Journal of the National Academy of Sciences, Monday, also sheds light on a strain of swine influenza of the G4 genetic family, which has all the basic features of a possible pandemic virus, according to those concerned.

While researchers say there is no imminent threat, the Chinese biologists who conducted the research warned that "immediate close monitoring should be applied to humans, especially those working in the pork industry."

In turn, Christian Lindmeier, an official from the World Health Organization, said at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, "We will read the paper carefully to understand what is new," adding that "it is important to collaborate on the results and to continue monitoring animal numbers."

He explained that the virus "highlights that the world cannot forget to beware of influenza, and also needs to be vigilant and continue monitoring even in the face of the Corona pandemic," as he put it.

One of 3 breeds!

It is noteworthy that the study quoted a Chinese professor, Qin Chu Shang, saying: “We are currently busy with the emerging corona virus, and we have the right to do so. But we must not lose sight of the new viruses that can be dangerous,” he said, referring to swine G4 viruses “carrying all the essential features of a pandemic candidate virus.” It could infect workers in China’s slaughterhouses, or other employees who work with pigs.

The new virus is one mixture of 3 strains: one is similar to the one found in European and Asian birds, i.e. H1N1, whose strain caused an epidemic in 2009, and the second H1N1 was in North America, and its strain contains genes from avian, human and swine influenza viruses. Especially, because its nucleus is a virus that humans do not have immunity to yet, i.e. bird flu with mixed strains of mammals,” according to the study, whose authors explained that the currently available vaccines do not protect against the new strain, but there is a possibility to modify it and make it effective, while the presented video throws more details. Light on the new "G4".

And there is another participant with the team preparing for the study, the Australian Edward Holmses, a biologist at the University of Sydney, who specializes in studying pathogens, and in it he says: “It seems that the new virus is on its way to appear in humans, and this situation needs careful monitoring.”

Another scientist, the Chinese Sun Honglei, who specializes in scientific authoring, went along with him, stressing the importance of “strengthening surveillance” of Chinese pigs to detect the virus “because the inclusion of G4 genes from the H1N1 epidemic can enhance adaptation to viruses, which leads to transmission of infection from one person to another,” as He said.

More than 500 million pigs

Another scientific team, led by scientist Liu Jinhua, an activist with the “Chinese Agricultural University” analyzed 30 “biopsies” that were removed from the noses of pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces, in addition to another 1000 pigs with respiratory symptoms, and it became clear from these collected samples. Between 2011 and 2018, it had 179 swine influenza viruses, most of which were of the G4 strain or one of the five other G strains of the “Eurasian” bird strain, that is, Europe and Asia, and it turned out that G4 showed a sharp increase from 2016 and it is the dominant genotype in the circulation of pigs discovered in 10 Chinese provinces at least.

However, Martha Nelson, a biologist at the Fogarty Global Center in the United States, confirmed that the probability of the new virus spreading as a pandemic “is low, but we must be vigilant, because the flu can surprise us,” as she advised, taking into account that in China More than 500 million pigs, and the newborn virus can be transmitted from one person to another, which also needs more confirmation.

China officially announces

In addition, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference on Tuesday that the government is "closely following developments in this matter." "We will take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of any virus," he added.

It is noteworthy that swine flu left more than 700 million infections around the world in 2009, in addition to nearly 17 confirmed deaths reported by the World Health Organization, while there is information that the pandemic killed much more than the mentioned number.