The variant has mutations that could indicate a risk of “immune escape” or resistance to vaccines, and additional studies will be required to understand its characteristics, the organization said.
“Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has decreased and is currently less than 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has steadily increased”, WHO noted.
All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, mutate over time, and most mutations have little or no impact on the characteristics of the virus.
However, some mutations can affect the properties of the virus and influence, for example, its ability to spread, the severity of the disease it causes or the effectiveness of vaccines, drugs or other measures to combat it.
The emergence in 2020 of variants that presented an aggravated risk to global public health led the WHO to characterize them as “of concern” or as “of concern”, in order to prioritize surveillance and research activities globally.
The entity adopted the letters of the Greek alphabet to name the variants and thus facilitate their identification for the non-scientific public and avoid the stigmatization associated with the country of origin.
Four of the variants have been rated by the WHO as “concerning”, including Alpha and Delta, while another five were rated as “of interest,” including Mu, AFP added.
The Mu variant was first detected in Colombia last January, and since then it has been found in other South American countries and Europe.
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