A recent study in Nature Communications focused on circulating swine influenza viruses, particularly the α-H1N2 virus, to assess their potential to cause a future pandemic. Swine flu viruses have the ability to evolve and pose a risk of interspecies transmission, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and characterizing these viruses. The study utilized a decision tree to evaluate the pandemic risk of endemic swine influenza viruses, finding that the α-H1N2 strain poses a higher risk than the γ-H1N1 strain. This highlights the need for increased surveillance and vaccination efforts to prevent potential zoonotic events and reduce viral circulation in swine populations.
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