New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) The KP.2 variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in India, particularly in Maharashtra, according to a study on Saturday.
The KP.2 strain is part of the variant dubbed FLiRT, which belongs to the Omicron lineage.
Omicron was highly transmissible and showed great immune escape.
First identified globally in January, KP.2 is a descendant of Omicron’s JN.1.
In India, KP.2 was first detected in December 2023 in Odisha.
The study, by a team of Indian scientists from BJ Government Medical College & Sassoon General Hospitals, involved 5,173 Indian SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences with collection dates between November 2023 and June 2024.
“Despite the affected individuals experiencing mild symptoms, studies have shown lower neutralisation titers and high infectivity due to FLiRT mutations, suggesting KP.2’s potential rise to global dominance,” Dr. Rajesh Karyakarte, Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, BJ Government Medical College, wrote in a post on social media platform X.
The study published in the Cureus: Journal of Medical Science analysed 5,173 sequences, and found JN.1 as the predominant lineage (65.96 per cent), followed by KP.2 (7.83 per cent) and KP.1 (3.27 per cent).
The majority of KP.2 sequences were from Maharashtra (61.23 per cent), followed by West Bengal (9.38 per cent), Gujarat (6.67 per cent), and Rajasthan (5.93 per cent).
The overall recovery rate for KP.2 cases was 99.38 per cent, with only 0.62 per cent succumbing to the disease.
Dr. Karyakarte said the highly transmissible variant caused “symptoms such as fever, cold, cough, sore throat, body ache, and fatigue” which were “generally not severe”.
It also showed the “ability to evade immune responses underscoring the virus’s ongoing adaptability.”
Further, Dr. Karyakarte noted that the “study highlights the critical need for genomic surveillance based on clinical cases.”
He also pointed out the “declining active surveillance, testing rates, and wastewater monitoring” was a hinderance to accurately assess the true burden of Covid.
“The study underscores that both of these epidemiological methods enable the public health authorities to forecast, mitigate, and prepare for potential outbreaks more effectively,” the expert said.
–IANS
rvt/rad
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
