Government Monitoring Newer Strain Of H1N1
The Ministry of Health said they are aware of a scientific study regarding a newer strain of H1N1 and said it is not an immediate threat to Bermuda and the “ESU will be closely monitoring the situation.”
A Government spokesperson said, “The Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health is aware of a scientific study, published online on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, regarding a newer strain of H1N1, known as G4 EA H1N1 which has been found to replicate in human airways.
“The study is based on the surveillance of pigs in 10 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2018.
“The strain, which has been common on China’s pig farms since 2016, is not an immediate threat to Bermuda. ESU will be closely monitoring the situation and will provide any updates to the public as appropriate.”
The New York Times report, “A new study warns that the strain of H1N1, common on China’s pig farms since 2016, should be ‘urgently’ controlled to avoid another pandemic.”
“Asked about the new strain at a U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said that it was not an ‘immediate threat’ but ‘something we need to keep our eye on just the way we did with in 2009 with the emergence of the swine flu.”
