Ebola in West Africa slower to mutate than thought

Experts say it is good news for scientists try to find long-term solution for the virus

The Ebola virus that devastated parts of West Africa over the past year did not mutate at a faster rate than in previous outbreaks, according to an international study published yesterday.

Contrary to research conducted early in the outbreak which suggested the virus was mutating at twice the rate previously seen, this study showed the mutation rate was only slightly higher in the West Africa epidemic – a finding experts said was reassuring.

“The results are good news for the scientists working to develop long-term solutions for Ebola, such as vaccines and treatments, as it means these . . . should still work against the mutated strains of the virus,” said Miles Carroll, head of research microbiology services at Public Health England (PHE), the laboratory leading the work.

Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in an unprecedented epidemic that began more than a year ago. New cases have declined sharply in the past few months, but the outbreak is not yet over.

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Dwindling numbers of new infections have, however, made work on trials designed to test and validate potential vaccines almost impossible. – (Reuters)