A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. As it's new, people could have little or no immunity to this flu strain. The last pandemic flu the world encountered - the swine flu outbreak of 2009 that began in Mexico - was less deadly than initially feared, largely because many older people had some immunity to it, probably because of its similarity to other flu viruses that had circulated years before. The new flu strain that has been identified in China is similar to 2009 swine flu, but with some new changes. The new virus strain, which the researchers call G4 EA H1N1, can grow and multiply in the cells that line the human airways.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 30, 2020 04:18 UTC