New 'Covid-like' virus that could infect humans discovered in remote cave

16 January 2024 , 15:09

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A scientist examines material in a lab (file image) (Image: Getty Images)

A deadly new bat virus which could infect humans has been found inside a remote cave, it is understood.

EcoHealth Alliance, a company linked to the coronavirus pandemic, said the discovery of the virus mainly found in bat poo was made in Thailand, and has left officials panicking over the potential of another pandemic. Announced by the EcoHealth Alliance, a company previously linked to medical experiments in Wuhan, China, the virus has been dubbed a “SARS-related coronavirus”.

British expert, Dr Peter Daszak told a World Health Organisation event: "We found a lot of SARS-related coronaviruses, but one in particular we found was quite common in bats where people were commonly exposed. We consider this to be a potential zoonotic pathogen. Here we have a virus in bats, right now in a cave used by people highly exposed to bat faeces. And this virus is shed in bat faeces, so there is a real potential for emergence."

And then in a comment that is sure to cause worry, the expert admitted that the virus is being tested using equipment that is not up to scratch with the rest of the world. He said: “In some parts of the region we are working with very resource-poor areas so we are using basic technology that can work in BSL-2 labs."

The discovery of the virus mainly found in bat poo, it is said (file image) (Getty Images/EyeEm)

It is not clear where exactly in Thailand the cave is, or what alerted the experts to it, but investigations are said to be ongoing. But, Dr Daszak said: “We know that most people in the region have either had Covid or been vaccinated and that will provide really good protection, we think, against this virus.”

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EcoHealth Alliance was heavily linked to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. However, they have always denied it, despite carrying out testing at a laboratory there, reports Daily Star.

A spokesman said: “Several media outlets covering this story have uncritically repeated factual inaccuracies regarding EcoHealth Alliance. It is important to note that the bat coronavirus research conducted by EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology could not have started the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Adam Cailler