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Written By: Agencies | Published : April 14, 2015 12:34 PM IST
The issue with developing quick and effective treatment for viral diseases is the speed with which these viruses mutate and become deadlier. The Ebola virus which wrecked havoc in West Africa a few months ago however has not evolved into a more potent strain, despite mutating 40 years ago claims a new study.
The surprising results of the University of Manchester research, demonstrates that the much higher death toll during the current outbreak, with the figure at nearly 10,500, wasn't due to mutations/evolution making the virus more deadly or more virulent. (Read: Latest Ebola News: New test to determine if you are a Ebola carrier)
Professor Simon Lovell from the Faculty of Life Sciences explained that using data from every outbreak since 1976, and found was that whilst Ebola was mutating, the function of the virus has remained the same over the past four decades which really surprised us. Unfortunately this meant that the Ebola virus that had emerged now since the 1970s would very probably do so again. (Read: Latest Ebola News: Australian woman suspected of Ebola, undergoing diagnostic tests)
However, Professor David Robertson said the findings could be seen as good news as it also meant that vaccines and treatments developed during this current outbreak had a high chance of being effective against future outbreak s, and could hopefully stop the virus from spreading at a much earlier stage then. The study is published in the journal Virology. (Read: Latest Ebola News: A new tool can predict the risk of Ebola infection)
Source: ANI
Photo source: Getty images
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