First case of the Pirola Variant in Mexico: It is the most contagious in the world

2023-12-15 20:28:49

The health authorities detected the first case of the Variant Pirola in Mexico. Its official name is JN-1 and corresponds to the BA.2.86 lineage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is also known to be the most contagious in the world, although so far it has not been proven to be more deadly than others.

First case of the Pirola Variant in Mexico

The information was released by the General Directorate of Epidemiology. It also mentions that the case was identified in Mexico City although no details of the patient were revealed. For now he remains in isolation and monitoring has begun on all the people with whom he had direct contact in recent days.

Now, although it is not confirmed, there are suspicions that the Pirola variant It could be transmitted through the intestinal and airways. For this reason, its ability to infect more people is much greater than that of other strains.

They find a case with the new variant of covid-19, more contagious, in CDMX

— Alejandro Macias (@doctormacias) December 15, 2023

For its part, during the winter season is when an increase in cases of respiratory infections is recorded because the phenomenon known as tripledemia. It refers to the high circulation of Covid-19, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). They all produce similar symptoms although they are different diseases.

In this sense, one characteristic that viruses have is the mutation. In fact, it is one of the reasons why the vaccines developed against Covid-19 must be updated periodically. Otherwise their effectiveness decreases and the protection they provide is less.

What are the symptoms caused by the Pirola Variant?

Sore throat Nasal congestion Sneezing Cough Severe headache Hoarseness Hoarseness Muscle pain Loss of sense of smell Fever

Pirola variant, the one with the most mutations so far

For its part, in the past it was reported that the Pirola variant has more than 30 amino acid modifications in its spike protein compared to the original version of Omicron.

Given this panorama, in the middle of the year the WHO included it within the category of “Tracking variant”. Although at first cases were only identified in countries such as the United States, Denmark and Israel, over the months it has spread to the rest of the world.

Is the pandemic already over?

It is important to mention that on May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) decreed the end of the health emergency. The main reason is because during the last 12 months a downward trend in infections and deaths has been observed in most of the planet.

Although it should be emphasized that the announcement only refers to the fact that the most serious part of the health emergency has already ended. Specialists affirm that it is very unlikely that a scenario like that of 2020 and 2021 will be repeated, but we should not fall into excess confidence either.

The reality is that Covid-19 could have a fate similar to that of HIV. The infections will continue because both viruses are here to stay and it is very difficult to completely eradicate each one. Therefore, it is necessary to continue with preventive measures so that the risk of contagion is as low as possible.

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