China’s ‘batwoman’ virologist warns of a ‘very likely’ outbreak of the coronavirus

In a recent article written with colleagues, Shi, who is also known as “batwoman,” warned that the world must be prepared for a new disease like Covid-19 because “if a coronavirus caused diseases before, chances are it will cause future outbreaks,” she said as quoted by the SCMP. Shi was nicknamed “batwoman” because of her research into viruses that spread from animals, particularly bats, to humans.

In the study, Shi’s team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology assessed the likelihood of 40 types of coronavirus spreading to humans, rating half of them as “very risky.” According to the report, 6 are already known to have caused diseases. that infected people additionally suggested that three more of them caused disease or infected other species.

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The research conducted was based on the examination of viral characteristics, including size, genetic diversity, host species and previous zoonotic infections, meaning diseases that spread from animals to humans.

“It is almost certain that diseases will arise in the future and it is very likely that diseases will arise in the future [coronavirus] disease again,” warned the study as reported by SCPM.

According to the research, Shi and her colleagues also identified important hosts of the pathogen, including natural hosts such as bats and rodents or potential intermediate hosts such as camels, civets, pigs or pangolins, the report said.

Meanwhile, the article was published in the July issue of the Journal Emerging Microbes & Infections in English, but it was not noticed on Chinese social media until this month. The late attention from Chinese may be partly due to language, but a scientist at the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that the lack of early Chinese attention also reflected a desire to move away from the topic after the abrupt change in the Chinese situation. zero Covid rules.

“Sometimes in private conversations, when talking to other public health scientists, we have noticed that Chinese authorities, intentionally or unintentionally, are downplaying Covid-19, and some cities have stopped releasing infection data,” he said, as quoted by SCMP.

Speaking about Shi and her colleagues’ research, the CDC scientist said, “Such studies are not considered groundbreaking or technically challenging and thus less appreciated in the field, but they are important,” as quoted in the report.

Meanwhile, healthcare professionals in Britain are now preparing for a possible new pandemic known as ‘Disease X’. They warn that this new virus could have a similar impact to the devastating Spanish flu of 1918-1920. Health experts are sounding the alarm about ‘Disease X’, a term coined by the World Health Organization. They warn that this potential new pandemic could cause up to twenty times more fatalities than the coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 and has tragically claimed the lives of more than 2.5 million people worldwide. Here are the top 10 points about Disease

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Updated: Sep 26, 2023 2:24 PM IST