중국, 대유행 가능성 '신종 돼지독감' 바이러스 발견<br /><br />A new strain of the swine flu has been found in pigs in China.<br />Making matters worse in this COVID-19 era, a study conducted by Chinese researchers shows it has the potential to cross over to humans and become yet another devastating pandemic.<br />Lee Seung-jae has more.<br />COVID-19 has inflicted a pandemic on the world that has infected over 10-million people and killed more than half a million in just over six months.<br />While the COVID-19 pandemic appears far from over,... a study by a team of Chinese researchers shows a new flu virus found in local pigs has become more infectious to humans,... and needs to be closely monitored,... as it has the potential to go pandemic as well.<br />The Chinese Foreign Ministry claims it's doing all it can to prevent the new virus from spreading.<br />" China is closely following the developments in regard to this matter. We will take all necessary measures to prevent the spread and outbreak of any virus."<br />The new strain, called "G4 EA H1N1",... descended from the swine flu that emerged in 2009,... which caused the first global flu pandemic in 40 years.<br />According to scientists,... the new strain has been identified as having "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus".<br />Researchers who have studied flu viruses in pig populations between 2011 and 2018 say around 10-percent of swine industry workers who were tested in China had already been exposed to the virus.<br />The initial swine flu that emerged in Mexico in 2009 is seen now as one of a variety of seasonal flu viruses and is included in annual flu vaccines.<br />However,... the current flu vaccine does not appear to protect humans from this new strain.<br />Scientists say that, while the world is distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic,... it should not lose sight of this new and potentially dangerous virus,... despite it not being deemed an immediate problem.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.<br />
