Warning for more dangerous Ebola virus changes

Scientists following the Ebola epidemic in Guinea say the virus is changing in the direction of becoming more dangerous.

The team from the French Pasteur Institute is investigating whether the Ebola virus is changing in a way that is more easily spread. Earlier, the agency identified the first outbreak of the disease in March last year. In Guinae, Sierra Leone and Libera, there were more than 22,000 people infected and 8,795 people died of Ebola.

Recently, scientists have begun to analyze blood samples of hundreds of Ebola infected patients in Guinea. The purpose of this study is to determine the direction of disease change as well as to answer the question "Can the virus become more easily spread among people?".

'We see the virus is changing quite a lot. The important thing now is to diagnose new cases and find treatments. We need to know the direction of the virus to prevent disease , 'Anavaj Sakutabhai, a genetic doctor, told BCC.

He added that the virus transformation is not unusual, especially when Ebola is an RNA virus, similar to HIV and influenza. These types have a relatively high rate of mutations, so they are easily compatible with the environment and increase the chance of infection.

Scientists are urgently developing research on Ebola vaccine.Photo: BBC

'We have now found several cases of Ebola-infected patients without any symptoms. These people can spread the virus more easily, but this is only a guess. A virus can become less harmful, but more contagious and that's a concern , 'he said.

Since the number of viral infections has skyrocketed in June 2014, for the first time, statistics show that the number of new infections has dropped to less than 100 in the past week. Specifically, there are 30 cases in Guinea, 4 in Liberia, 65 in Sierra Leone. With that result, WHO said that the disease is entering the end stage.

But Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, is concerned that many cases are positive for Ebola but do not see specific symptoms.'Many cases of asymptomatic infection are taking place. Disease situation is difficult to identify. Clearly, we will face more and more new cases without symptoms , 'said the professor.

Another pressing issue is that once the virus has more time and 'host' to parasitize and develop, Ebola will be more favorable to change, even spread through the air. There are not any clear signs so far, it can only be confirmed that the virus is transmitted by direct contact with the patient.

'There has never been a blood-borne virus that shows signs of mutation into an air-borne virus, even HIV and hepatitis B. To achieve that, it requires a large mutation' . Professor David Heyman, an infectious disease expert, said.

Virus scientist Noel Tordo of the Pasteur Institute in Guinea's capital Conakry adds: 'Right now, there is nothing clear about the mutant condition of the virus, both geographically and in the human body, so We need to find out more. But certainly some changes have taken place '.

Researchers are using a method called gene sequencing to monitor the evolution of the virus. To date, they have analyzed about 20 blood samples from Guinea, another 600 samples will be sent to laboratories in the next few months.

According to WHO, a similar study in Sierra Leona also showed that Ebola had significant changes within the first 24 days of the disease. The study raises many questions about the possibility of infection, resistance to vaccines and drugs as well as the use of plasma of patients in the recovery period to treat newly infected people. However, it is likely that these changes do not affect drug reactions as well as spread conditions.

Studies in Paris also explain more clearly the survivability of people infected with Ebola. Currently the rate of patients surviving up to 40%. From that, arousing hope for patients as well as the ability to prepare vaccines successfully.

Experts at the Pasteur Institute are developing two vaccines that are expected to be tested on the human body later this year. One of them is a variant of the measles vaccine, which provides the body with a harmless weak virus that causes an immune response, protecting people in the event of an infection. If successful, this will be a vaccine against both measles and Ebola.

'The threat has spread and can expand to a global scale. We realize that this is no longer Africa's problem but a problem for everyone , 'said Professor James Di Santo, an immunologist at the Pastuer Paris Institute. 'The disease may weaken and end, but there will be another outbreak at another location, because the virus in nature, for example in small animals, is still a threat to humanity. future. The best solution we can think of is inventing a universal vaccine. '