Expert Virologist:

Even as fears over a swine flu pandemic are beginning to subside around the world, some top virologists are speculating on what is next for the the H1N1 virus.

In particular, some experts now fear what could happen if the H1N1 virus is able to combine with the H5N1 virus.

Yi Guan, the virologist at Hong Kong University that isolated the SARS virus in 2003 recently made it very clear what he would do if the highly infectious H1N1 virus combined with the extremely deadly H5N1 virus: "If that happens, I will retire immediately and lock myself in the P3 lab. H5N1 kills half the people it infects."

Science Insider recently interviewed Yi Guan and the following is a portion of that stunning interview.....

Q: Is it surprising how quickly H1N1 adapted?

Y.G.: All viruses, after interspecies transmission, will evolve fast. But why this H1N1 could become successful at efficient human-to-human transmission is still unknown. We have a knowledge gap about how influenza A viruses build up their pandemicity in humans. As swine H1N1 has being circulating in pigs since 1918, it has accumulated [many] differences from human H1N1 virus. So, for human beings, it looks like a novel subtype, as most human individuals lack immunity to this swine-like H1N1. This is one of the most important conditions for pandemic emergence. Whether the novel virus will develop into a more virulent strain—just like the Spanish flu did in the fall of 1918 to kill more people—we still don't have any idea.

Q: It depends on further mutations?

Y.G.: It depends on mutations and whether the virus further reassorts with other viruses—like H5N1. That could be a super nightmare for the whole world.

Q: You’re talking about the Armageddon virus?

Y.G.: The chance is very, very low that these two viruses will mix together, but we cannot rule out the possibility. Now, H5N1 is in more than 60 countries. It’s a panzootic, present everywhere except North America.

Q: If the nightmare comes true?

Y.G.: If that happens, I will retire immediately and lock myself in the P3 lab. H5N1 kills half the people it infects. Even if you inject yourself with a vaccine, it may be too late. Maybe in just a couple hours it takes your life.

So is there any chance that this nightmare scenario will actually happen?

Fortunately for now this swine flu outbreak looks relatively mild, but remember, the 1918 flu pandemic killed millions of people. Modern transportation could enable a disease to spread much more easily today, and so this is something not to be taken lightly.

Let us hope that H1N1 does not combine with H5N1 any time soon.

Because if it does, it could result in a plague unlike any the world has ever seen.