New Virus With Pandemic Potential Discovered in China According to CNN, Chinese researchers say the G4 virus descends from 2009's H1N1 swine flu. CNN adds that a recent pig surveillance program that ended in 2018 discovered the disease. A study of the G4 virus is in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' (PNAS). According to a 2016-2018 survey, people tested positive for the virus in the Hebei and Shandong provinces in China. Large numbers of pigs are known to be present in both regions. Researchers state that if not monitored, G4 could pose a severe risk to human life. They add that infection may arise through the transmission from pigs to humans. Columbia University virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen says it is too early to tell how deadly G4 can become. Angela Rasmussen, via Twitter University of Washington biology professor Carl Bergstrom adds that evidence does not exist in person-to-person contact.