WHO warns that SARS is mutating

June 20 2003
 

The SARS virus is mutating, the World Health Organisation has warned, despite earlier claims by scientists that the disease appeared to be stable.

"The number of mutations is up," said Marie-Paule Kieny, head of the World Health Organisation's Initiative for Vaccine Research program.

"The virus evolves. We have to monitor its diversity and its potential evolution."

Several scientists at a WHO-sponsored conference on SARS research in Singapore presented fresh evidence that the coronavirus that causes SARS could evolve into something more dangerous.

"How mutable is SARS? The mutations allow for species jumping. It is highly adaptable to humans," said Michael Lai from the University of Southern California's department of microbiology and immunology.

Previously researchers had said that, although the coronavirus must have mutated to jump from animals to humans, it didn't appear to be mutating rapidly and on the contrary appeared stable.

The new warnings come despite a severe drop off in new SARS infections. While the disease has killed more than 800 people worldwide and infected more than 8400, the WHO has lifted travel warnings for most SARS-hit areas.

Kieny said research must focus on the transforming virus and how it could mask itself from current models of detection.

She called on governments to invest heavily in finding a vaccine to prevent the virus from striking again in a mutated form.

She warned that pharmaceutical companies could not be relied upon to do the work.

"Vaccine manufacturers have to make profits," she said.

"If the market for SARS disappears, then their involvement, understandably, will reduce."

About 500 scientists and doctors attended yesterday's conference, held a day after another WHO conference in neighbouring Malaysia, where countries shared lessons they learned battling the deadly illness.

AP