• Scientists in Myanmar have discovered six entirely new coronaviruses in bats of the same family as the SARS and COVID-19 virus that is currently spreading across the world.

Government o f Myanmar had commenced the funded program named PREDICT to discover Infectious transmittable diseases from animals to humans.

As bats are the prime suspects of spreading coronaviruses so the scientist of Myanmar researched on bats and made the conclusion and this is the very first time when these viruses have been detected anywhere in the world.

The research further shows that the newly discovered COVID-19 are not closely related to coronaviruses Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS CoV-1), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or COVID-19.

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The lead author of the studies and former wildlife veterinarian with the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program Marc Valitutto stated “Worldwide, humans are interacting with wildlife with increasing frequency, so the more we understand about these viruses in animals — what allows them to mutate and how they spread to other species — the better we can reduce their pandemic potential.”

The PREDICT team in Myanmar including scientists from the Smithsonian; the University of California, Davis; Myanmar’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation; Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports; and Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

The authors state these findings highlight the significance of surveillance for zoonotic diseases as they arise in wildlife.

The outcome of the research will steer future surveillance to detect potential viral threats which cause public health suffer and also check on populations of bats.