An overseas study conducted among 36,417 pigs from 10 provinces in China discovered a new strain of Swine Flu virus which holds the potential of causing a global outbreak. Authors of the study published on Monday by the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America" recommended that "immediate action" be taken to prevent the "efficient transmission" of the virus to humans.
"Based on our data, I think that the public should know the risk," warned Yoshihiro Kawaoka, one of the study's authors and professor in the Division of Virology at the University of Tokyo.
Kawaoka added that most people would not be protected if they are exposed to two subtypes of the Swine Flu lineage known as Eurasian avian-like H1N1 or EAH1N1. The study further highlighted that the virus recently discovered is a different strain from the H1N1 virus that caused an epidemic back in 2009 infecting 61 million people from 214 countries and killing at least 12,469. Kawaoka said that this time with the new strain, it is difficult to determine how widespread the outbreak could become if they spread to humans.
The study also revealed that although vaccines to prevent flu in pigs exist, they generally aren't used in China which happens to be the world's largest supplier of pork and other pork-based products.
Kawaoka recommended that countries could take action by determining if they have sources of the virus within their country and by warning the general public to take caution as well.
Moreover, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized that flu shots will not protect a person from the new strain of Swine Flu. "Seasonal flu vaccines are not designed to protect against swine influenza viruses," advised Dr. Joe Bresee, Chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in the CDC's Influenza Division.