Mu variant: how is the covid-19 mutation alerting the WHO | Detected in Colombia and present in Argentina

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the new variant of the coronavirus, first identified in Colombia in January 2021, has been renamed ‘Mu’ and it is classified as “of global interest” because of its mutations that make it more contagious. The first case in Argentina was detected in Salta.

The National Institute of Health (INS) of Colombia explained that variant B.1.621, according to scientific nomenclature, attracted the attention of scientists due to the presence of three mutations in the S protein, which would be associated with characteristics such as high transmissibility.

“The ‘Mu’ variant is, along with other factors, responsible for the country which is experiencing a third peak of the pandemic with a large number of infections, much higher than the previous ones,” the INS said.

Meanwhile, from the WHO, they clarified that in addition to Colombia, the Mu variant has been detected in other South American countries and in Europe. They also warned that “although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has declined and is currently below 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia (39 percent) and Ecuador (13 percent) has steadily increased“.

Variants and mutations

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes covid-19, mutate over time and certain mutations can affect the properties of the virus and influence, for example, its ability to spread, the severity of the disease. that causes it or its effectiveness. vaccines, drugs or other measures to combat it.

During the year 2020, the emergence of variants presenting an aggravated risk for global public health led to the WHO to classify them as “of interest” or as “worrying”, to prioritize global surveillance and investigation activities.

In this sense, the agency clarified that There are four variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta) and five variants of interest due to their high transmissibility (Eta, Iota, Kappa, Lamda and now Mu).

From mid-2021, it was decided to change the names of the variants that were previously known by their country of origin to letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigma around the world.

WHO wants states to take action if they detect any of these variants, for example by notifying the organization, submitting complete genome sequences to a publicly accessible database, and conducting studies on the field to better understand the potential effects.