The World Health Organization announced on the night of August 31 to September 1 that it is currently monitoring a new variant called “Mu”. First appearing in Colombia, the variant has been classified as ” variant to follow “By the WHO because of a potential risk” immune escape “. Passeport Santé tells you more.
Where does the variant B.1.621 called Mu come from?
The B.1.621 variant called “Mu” was detected for the first time in Colombia last January. According to the international database Gisaid, the Mu variant has since been detected in around 40 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy … August 29, 4,500 sequences were uploaded to the data sharing platform.
On Twitter, the director of the Covid-19 technical team at WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove, indicated that the global prevalence of the Mu variant is currently less than 0.1%. However, the WHO specifies that ” Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has decreased and is currently less than 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia and Ecuador has steadily increased. “. Indeed, it is mainly present in Colombia where it represents 39% of positive cases, and 13% of cases in Ecuador.
Has the Mu variant been detected in France?
The Mu variant was spotted in France in May 2021 according to a recent inventory of variants operated by Public Health France. According to the organization, 105 cases have been identified across the country as of August 25. However, she specifies that none of them was however detected during the last two Flash sequencing surveys. In the meantime, Santé Publique France has indicated that at present, “ it is not known how B.1.621 will behave in relation to Delta and this variant is being carefully monitored, although increased transmission compared to Delta seems unlikely “.
Why is the Mu variant classified as a ‘variant to follow’ by the WHO?
In its weekly epidemiological bulletin on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO indicated that it classified the variant B.1.621 as being ” variant to follow “. As a reminder, the WHO characterizes the variants to be monitored and the variants of concern in order to prioritize surveillance and research activities at the global level. If the Mu variant has been classified as a variant to follow, it is because it has mutations that could mean a risk of ” immune escape “. In other words, he could exhibit resistance to vaccines. However, the WHO has indicated that additional studies are still needed to better understand its characteristics.
