Experts have issued a strong warning about a newly identified coronavirus from China which has the potential to become the next global pandemic threat. The novel HKU5-CoV-2 virus is apparently just one minor mutation away from gaining the ability to infect humans, posing a significant risk of leading to fatal disease.
This virus bears similarities to the deadly MERS and was initially flagged by a Chinese laboratory, the same facility under scrutiny over potentially leaking Covid, triggering the 2020 health crisis. Scientists at Washington State University have done extensive research into how this virus interacts with human cells.
Leading the study, virologist Professor Michael Letko said: “HKU5 viruses in particular really hadn’t been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells. What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans.”
The team’s lab experiments indicated that a subtle alteration to the virus’s spike protein might allow it to latch onto human ACE2 receptors – present in our throats, mouths, and noses, reports the Express.
The worrisome HKU5-CoV-2 strain was identified among a sample of bats swabbed across various southern and eastern regions of China. While it currently circulates solely within bat populations, there is growing concern that unchecked wildlife trading within China could facilitate the virus’s mutation into a version transmissible between humans.
Professor Letko voiced concerns about the striking resemblance between MERS and the newly identified HKU5-CoV-2, despite there being no current evidence of transmission to humans. He said: “While there’s no evidence they’ve crossed into people yet, the potential is there and that makes them worth watching.”
First seen in 2012, MERS has impacted numerable nations, predominantly in the Middle East. In most instances, individuals experience symptoms roughly five days following contact with an infected human or camel, but incubation spans from as little as two to up to fourteen days. Hospital statistics reveal that for MERS, the median duration from symptom onset to hospital admission stands at around four days.
Since April 2012, official records indicate a total of 2626 laboratory-confirmed MERS infections worldwide, accompanied by 947 fatalities, culminating in a case-fatality rate (CFR) of 36 per cent – this data sourced from WHO.
A considerable majority of these cases emanated from Saudi Arabia, tallying 2217 cases with 866 resultant deaths (CFR: 39 per cent).
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