Bangladesh reports another new Covid variant
Scientists have identified another new variant of novel coronavirus in Bangladesh with potentially worrying mutations.
Known as B.1.525, the variant was first detected in the UK on December 15 and Nigeria in December last year.
According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), eight cases of this variant have so far been found in Bangladesh by different laboratories.
Of them, six were detected by the scientists at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, one by the scientists at Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives and another by the scientists at Child Health Research Foundation.
Scientists have identified another new variant of novel coronavirus in the country with potentially worrying mutations.
Known as B.1.525, the variant was first detected in the UK on December 15 and Nigeria in Decemberlast year.
According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), eight cases of this variant have so far been found in Bangladesh by different laboratories.
Of them, six were detected by the scientists at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, one by the scientists at Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives and another by the scientists at Child Health Research Foundation. What information about this variant we have received so far from our collaborating colleagues in Europe is a bit concerning. However, it is too early to reach any conclusion, one of the Bangladeshi scientists linked to the study told The Daily Star yesterday.
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Brief Summary:
Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD), particularly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders (COPD) are leading causes of mortality and reduced quality of life due to its wide-reported association with other multi-morbidities.There is limited knowledge on the burden of CRD in the rural communities in Bangladesh due to poor awareness on the impact of CRD on quality of life and unavailability of diagnostic facilities due to weaker primary healthcare settings. The study aims to estimate the CRD burden in Bangladesh in a large representative population to draw the attention of policy makers to the creation of social awareness and improvement of primary healthcare infrastructure for respiratory disease in Bangladesh.
Researchers in Germany have found that the South African and Brazillian variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus might be able to evade plasma therapy .
The study, which was recently published in the scientific journal called Cell, tested to see how well antibodies induced by infection and vaccination neutralise the South African (B.1.351) variant and the Brazillian (P.1) variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The study was titled SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.351 and P.1 escape from neutralizing antibodies .
Antibodies induced by infection exist in the blood of convalescent or recovered patients. These are produced when the body s immune system reacts to the antigen in the virus.
Experts View: S African variant spreading widely
Photo: Collected
Observing the recent surge of coronavirus cases, it was assumed that a new Covid-19 strain had spread in Bangladesh.
The country has direct communication with UK, with hundreds of expatriates coming to Bangladesh every month. In December last year, a new strain of Covid-19 (B117) was detected in the UK.
All these factors led to the assumption that the second wave of coronavirus in Bangladesh was caused by the new UK variant.
But a recent study of icddr,b reveals that the South African variant (B1351) of Covid-19 is dominant in Dhaka. This finding forces a rethink.