G4 FLU VIRUS

July 3, 2020

Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that was responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

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  • They also found that the G4 strain has the capability of binding to human-type receptors (like, the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to ACE2 receptors in humans), was able to copy itself in human airway epithelial cells, and it showed effective infectivity and aerosol transmission in ferrets.

  • The scientists suggest that controlling the prevailing G4 Eurasian-Avian like (EA) H1N1 viruses in pigs and closely monitoring human populations, especially workers in the swine industry, should be “urgently implemented”.