Friday, June 24, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home News Top Stories

From bats to humans? Analysis shows possible sources of virus

AFPbyAFP
January 24, 2020, 1:30 am
in Top Stories
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
72
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

A new strain of coronavirus that emerged in China may have originated in bats or snakes, according to genetic analysis of the virus that has so far killed 17 people.

READ: 17 new cases of mystery virus

From bats to humans? Analysis shows possible sources of virus

The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak, with two studies pointing to the likely role of bats in the outbreak.

One study, published Tuesday in the journal Science China Life Sciences, which is sponsored by Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Sciences, looked at the relations between the new strain and other viruses.

ADVERTISEMENT

It found the coronavirus that emerged from China’s Wuhan was closely related to a strain that exists in bats.

“Bats being the native host of the Wuhan CoV [coronavirus] would be the logical and convenient reasoning, though it remains likely there was intermediate host(s) in the transmission cascade from bats to humans,” the researchers from several institutions in China wrote in the paper.

That study did not speculate about which animal could have been an “intermediate host,” but a second study published Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Virology identifies snakes as the possible culprit.

“To search for (a) potential virus reservoir, we have carried out a comprehensive sequence analysis and comparison. Results from our analysis suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir,” the paper says.

The researchers caution that their conclusions require “further validation by experimental studies in animal models.”

Neither study explained how the virus may have been transmitted from animals to humans.

But they could offer clues to Chinese authorities as they hunt for the source of the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people in the country and has been confirmed as far afield as the United States.

The food market where the deadly virus surfaced offered a range of exotic wildlife for sale, including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines, camel meat and other game.

Gao Fu, director of the Chinese center for disease control and prevention, said in Beijing on Wednesday that authorities believe the virus likely came from “wild animals at the seafood market” though the exact source remains undetermined.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, was linked to Chinese consumption of civet meat.

Many exotic species are still widely consumed in China or other Asian countries where they are considered a delicacy—like the civet or some rats or bats—or for purported health benefits unproven by science.

As China locks down the city at the epicenter of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

While most patients are in Wuhan, cases have been detected across China and a few abroad.

READ: Major SARS-like outbreak feared amid third death outside of China

Nathalie MacDermott of King’s College London said it seems likely the virus is spreading through droplets in the air from sneezing or coughing.

Scientists at Imperial College London published an estimate on Wednesday that 4,000 people had been infected in Wuhan—around 10 times the official figure.

The symptoms appear to be less aggressive than those of the virus that spread in 2002 and 2003.

However, Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, said the fact that the virus seems milder in the majority of people is “paradoxically more worrying” as it allows many to travel further before their symptoms are detected.

The 17 patients who died were between 48 and 89 years old. Most had underlying health issues including cirrhosis, diabetes, high blood pressure or coronary heart disease, China’s National Health Commission said.

Fears of a bigger epidemic have risen as hundreds of millions of people travel across the country for China’s Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Friday.

Authorities halted flights and trains out of Wuhan from Thursday and told people in the city they should not leave without a special reason.

In Thailand, officials have introduced mandatory thermal scans of passengers arriving at airports in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Krabi from high-risk areas in China.

In Hong Kong, authorities have said they are on high alert, carrying out scans at the city’s airport—one of the world’s busiest—and at other international land and sea crossing points. High-speed rail tickets to Wuhan are no longer being sold while airliner Cathay has said it will stop flights to the city until 29 February.

Taiwan has issued travel advisories and went to its second-highest alert level for Wuhan, recommending against all travel to the city.

South Korea urged its citizens on Thursday not to travel to Wuhan, with the foreign ministry telling anyone intending to visit the area to “please carefully review the necessity of the trip.”

The US has also ordered the screening of passengers arriving on direct or connecting flights from Wuhan, including at airports in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

READ: Global health emergency eyed over outbreak

From bats to humans? Analysis shows possible sources of virus

In Europe, Britain and Italy introduced enhanced monitoring of flights from Wuhan, while Romania and Russia are also strengthening checks. 

READ: PH probes SARS-like virus case

Tags: batscoronavirusJournal of Medical VirologyScience China Life Sciencessnakes
ADVERTISEMENT
AFP

AFP

Related Posts

Ex-PAL exec to head DOTr

byRey E. Requejoand2 others
June 24, 2022, 1:40 am
0
263
Ex-PAL exec to head DOTr

Jaime Bautista, an airline old hand, leads BBM's latest key nominees President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Thursday designated veteran airline...

Read more

PH drops oil, gas talks with China—DFA

byManila Standard
June 24, 2022, 1:30 am
0
209
Locsin: PH ‘dropped ball’ on 50 million syringes

The Philippines has abandoned joint oil exploration talks with China amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary...

Read more

UN: Internet shutdowns do great damage

byAFP
June 24, 2022, 1:30 am
0
167
China’s Xinjiang crackdown under scrutiny ahead of UN rights chief visit

The UN called on countries to stop imposing internet shutdowns or disruptions, warning Thursday that they can have dire and...

Read more

Esperon claims blocked websites sow enmity, discord

byMaricel Cruzand1 others
June 24, 2022, 1:20 am
0
215

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday defended his request to have 26 websites blocked, which he said have sowed...

Read more

Comelec rejects bid vs. Guanzon as party-list sub

byManila Standard
June 24, 2022, 1:20 am
0
391
Pinay pageant queens mourn Miss USA Kryst

The Commission on Elections en banc on Thursday rejected the bid of the Duterte Youth party-list to stop the substitution...

Read more

COVID vax for kids below 5 yrs. eyed

byWillie Casas
June 24, 2022, 1:10 am
0
178
Atayde unveils ‘smart’ x-ray machine for QC

The Philippines is looking into the possibility of vaccinating children below 5 years old against COVID-19, an official of the...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    36702 shares
    Share 14681 Tweet 9176
  • Of course, it was BBM’s project

    30860 shares
    Share 12344 Tweet 7715
  • INC endorses BBM, Sara

    28801 shares
    Share 11520 Tweet 7200
  • Duterte’s seven biggest achievements

    21802 shares
    Share 8721 Tweet 5451
  • Marcos leads SWS survey on presidentiables at 50%

    13581 shares
    Share 5432 Tweet 3395

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Shopee expands presence in Mindanao with seller onboarding initiatives, new hubs 
  • ‘Next man up’ mentality fuels Hotshots past Fuel Masters
  • Cars, homes galore from BPI best deals fest
  • FIVB president Graca: Future of volleyball is Asia, PH
  • Building readily available homes
  • Mass housing included in SIPP
  • Move-in-ready residences in Malate
  • Taking sustainability to new heights

Advertisement

Latest News

Mass housing included in SIPP

byManila Standard
June 24, 2022, 6:30 pm
0
131
Taking sustainability to new heights

The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc. (SHDA ) recently welcomed the government’s announcement on the inclusion of mass housing...

Read more

Move-in-ready residences in Malate

byManila Standard
June 24, 2022, 6:20 pm
0
131
Taking sustainability to new heights

Torre Lorenzo Development Corporation (TLDC) recently held an inauguration ceremony for Torre Lorenzo Malate (TLM), its latest mixed-use premium lifestyle...

Read more

Taking sustainability to new heights

byManila Standard
June 24, 2022, 6:10 pm
0
131
Taking sustainability to new heights

Elevator/escalator builder KONE recently pledged to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reach carbon neutral operations by 2030. In...

Read more

Globe At Home Prepaid supports Filipino family’s needs with P799 promo

byMST Tech
June 24, 2022, 6:00 pm
0
133
Globe At Home Prepaid supports Filipino family’s needs with P799 promo

As millions of Filipino families navigate the path to recovery, being conscious of spending has become even more necessary. Globe...

Read more

ERC welcomes pilot implementation of Retail Aggregation scheme

byManilaStandard
June 24, 2022, 3:21 pm
0
141

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has welcomed the pilot implementation of the Retail Aggregation scheme for electricity consumers in UP...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App