Next pandemic likely to be caused by flu virus, scientists warn

An artist works on a mural during the coronavirus pandemic in Manchester. Some scientists believe Sars-Cov-2 remains a threat. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Influenza is the pathogen most likely to trigger a new pandemic in the near future, according to leading scientists.

An international survey, to be published next weekend, will reveal that 57% of senior disease experts now think that a strain of flu virus will be the cause of the next global outbreak of deadly infectious illness.