The World Health Organization announced that it is monitoring a mutant strain of the new coronavirus called “Mu”, which was first discovered in Colombia in January.
The World Health Organization stated in its latest weekly report on the new crown pneumonia epidemic that the World Health Organization included the mutant strain named Mu (B.1.621) as a “variety of special interest.”
The WHO explained that the Mu variant has a series of mutations, indicating that it has the potential for immune escape (vaccine resistance). Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research on it to better understand its characteristics.
All viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the outbreak of the new crown pandemic, will mutate over time.
Impact and risk
If most of the mutations have little or no effect on the characteristics of the virus, some of them will affect them, for example, increase the ease of virus transmission, increase the severity of the disease it causes, or affect its impact on vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tools. Or resistance to other social and public health measures.
As the mutants appearing at the end of 2020 pose an increasing threat to public health, the World Health Organization has developed a list of “variants of special interest” and “variants of special concern”, aiming to prioritize monitoring and research of these viruses at the global level activity.
The World Health Organization decided to use Greek letters to name the “variants of particular interest” and “variants of particular interest” instead of naming the country where these variants first appeared. This is to prevent any stigmatization of this country. And provide the public with convenient pronunciation.
All viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the outbreak of the new crown pandemic, will mutate over time (Getty Images)Disturbing mutant strain
Currently, according to the World Health Organization, there are 4 variants of special concern, including alpha mutants that have spread in 193 countries so far and delta mutations that have spread in 170 countries and regions so far. There are 5 “variants of particular interest” (including Mu mutants).
Mu mutants were first discovered in Colombia in January, and since then, confirmed cases of such variants have been reported in some Latin American and European countries.
According to the World Health Organization, “Although the global prevalence of Mu variants in sequenced cases has declined and is currently below 0.1%, the prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has been increasing.”
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