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Health A COVID 19 variant nicknamed Eris after the Greek goddess of chaos strife and discord has recently made headlines after spreading overseas However it may come as a surprise that the variant has been circulating in Australia for the past four months without causing much havoc So why is it grabbing attention now and should Australia brace for a spike in cases Like any virus COVID 19 has evolved and mutated over time resulting in dozens of different variations within the virus family One such offshoot is EG 5 1 which has gained notoriety as the Eris variant thanks to a scientist s tweet on Twitter While the World Health Organization WHO has labeled EG 5 as a variant of interest it considers the risk to global health to be low based on available evidence This places EG 5 1 a step above being merely a variant under monitoring a classification it received on July 19 However it is not yet considered a variant of concern The first documented case of the EG 5 1 variant in Australia dates back to February Since then cases have been increasing across various countries including China the United States and the United Kingdom Despite gaining media attention this week the variant has been quietly spreading in low numbers within Australia since April So far only 78 infections have been confirmed in Australia primarily in New South Wales and Queensland However the actual number is likely to be much higher due to limited testing Although infections are growing in some countries epidemiologists like James Wood a professor at the UNSW School of Population Health in Sydney assert that it is not spreading at an alarming rate According to Wood EG 5 1 is not a significant issue itself but rather a precursor to the variant that may cause the next wave of infections The Unique Spike Protein of EG 5 1 If you examine any COVID variant under a microscope you will notice a ball like structure covered in spiky protrusions These spike proteins are what the virus uses to attach to human cells and initiate infections The EG 5 1 variant stands out due to a specific mutation in one of its spike proteins known as F456L This mutation helps the virus evade the immunity developed from past infections and vaccines Virologist Stuart Turville an associate professor at the University of New South Wales Kirby Institute explains that this mutation makes EG 5 1 a little bit more slippery and evasive to pre existing antibodies As a result it is more transmissible than some other variants including Omicron However there is no evidence suggesting that EG 5 1 leads to more severe illness or increased mortality rates The WHO s technical lead on COVID 19 Maria Van Kerkhove confirms that EG 5 1 does not exhibit greater severity compared to other sub lineages of Omicron since late 2021 While older vaccines may not completely prevent infections from EG 5 1 booster shots targeting a variant called XBB 1 5 are currently in development These booster shots are expected to offer good protection against EG 5 1 as the EG 5 family of variants descends from the XBB family The vaccines targeting XBB 1 5 are anticipated to be available in the United States next month and may be offered in Australia later this year It is important to note that all COVID 19 vaccines effectively reduce the risk of severe illness and death regardless of the variant Predictions and Monitoring Scientists and health experts assure the public that EG 5 1 is unlikely to justify its dramatic moniker Reported symptoms of the variant are similar to those of other variants including a runny nose fatigue sore throat headache and sneezing Dr Turville and other scientists remain vigilant in monitoring different variants circulating in Australia but emphasize that there is no need for anxiety Professor Wood asserts that EG 5 1 is not causing a significant enough increase in infections to trigger another major wave However he suggests that over time it may evolve into a more transmissible variant Wood states This is the start of a new round of changes to the virus Key Takeaway The COVID 19 variant EG 5 1 nicknamed Eris has been circulating in Australia since April but recently gained media attention The World Health Organization deems EG 5 1 a variant of interest with low risk to global health EG 5 1 has a mutation in one of its spike proteins helping it evade immunity from previous infections and vaccines Booster shots targeting a related variant XBB 1 5 are expected to provide good protection against EG 5 1 There is no evidence suggesting EG 5 1 causes more severe illness than other variants although it may be more transmissible Scientists are closely monitoring EG 5 1 but do not consider it a significant threat that may cause another major wave of infections Credit abc net auENND

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