Every day, a new type of disease comes into contact with humans, putting us closer to the point of extinction. The world organizations are at an alert and are closely monitoring for any sign of abnormality.
As WHO watches the evolution of the virus that causes COVID-19, the World Health Organization is keeping an eye on a new variety of interest known as the Mu variant.
Mu was first discovered in Colombia at the beginning of the year and has since spread across South America and Europe in occasional outbreaks.
What does the Mu variation constitute?
The Mu variation of COVID-19, also known as variant B.1.621, was initially found in Colombia in January and is currently one of five variants of interest by the WHO.
While the WHO has identified it as a variant of concern due to its increased virulence, it is seen as less of a threat by the WHO than the Delta or Alpha strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which have been designated as variants of concern due to their increased virulence.
Mu has been designated as “of interest” by the WHO because it possesses a “constellation of mutations that signal possible capabilities of immune escape” that need to be investigated further, according to the latest epidemiological study.
Mu’s prevalence in global COVID-19 infections has actually decreased since it was initially discovered, according to the WHO, but “the frequency in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has steadily increased.”
Although it accounts for less than 0.1 per cent of all COVID-19 infections worldwide, outbreaks of B.1.621 have been documented in the United States and Europe.
Mu appeared to be more resistant to antibodies.
The laboratory experiments do not provide a complete picture of how human immunity functions in the actual world.
WHO requires clinical evidence, thus in the real world, they are observing changes in features that indicate the vaccine is losing efficacy.
WHO monitoring 9 Variants:
The five Variants of Interest are:
- Eta, first detected in multiple countries in December 2020
- Iota, first detected in the US in November 2020
- Kappa, first detected in India in October 2020
- Lambda, first detected in Peru in December 2020
- Mu, first detected in Colombia in January 2021
The four Variants of Concern, which have the potential to exacerbate the pandemic, are:
- Alpha, first detected in the UK in September 2020
- Beta, first detected in South Africa in May 2020
- Gamma, first detected in Brazil in November 2020
- Delta, first detected in India in October 2020
The virus has more opportunities to mutate the more it spreads.