Prognosis
Swine Flu Infecting Humans Raises Fears of Pandemic Potential
- Tests show virus has infected swine workers, study says
- Pathogen bears genes seen earlier in 2009 pandemic flu strain
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A strain of flu virus spreading in Chinese pigs has shown it can also infect humans, suggesting that another pathogen with pandemic potential waits in the wings behind the coronavirus.
The flu strain that jumped to humans has become predominant among pigs across China since 2016, according to a team of researchers that includes George Gao Fu, head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers based their findings on surveillance studies conducted in 10 provinces from 2011 through 2018.