Expert comment on a new PHE report showing that the Ebola virus mutated at a slower rate than first thought
23 June 2015 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine https://lshtm.ac.uk/themes/custom/lshtm/images/lshtm-logo-black.pngA report led by Public Health England (PHE), published this week in the journal Nature, has shown that the Ebola virus responsible for the recent outbreak in West Africa mutated at a similar rate to previous outbreaks. This will reassure public health experts as it contradicts research conducted early in the outbreak, which suggested that the virus' mutation rate was twice that of previous outbreaks of Ebola.
Commenting on this, Professor David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Chairman of PHE, said: "This project, funded by the European Commission, illustrates how international collaboration is the most effective way to progress our understanding of new emerging diseases and develop innovative public health treatments and vaccines.
"PHE are supporting global efforts to find the best diagnostic, vaccine and treatment options for Ebola. This research is reassuring to scientists and the public that the recent work on Ebola has been worthwhile and could soon lead to a better state of preparedness and response for the future."
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