'Something we are afraid of': The Ebola virus is mutating, scientists warn

Scientists who are tracking the Ebola outbreak in Guinea said that the virus has mutated but how they're not entirely sure.

18:03 29 January 2015

Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in France have confirmed that the Ebola virus is mutating. The group, which first identified the outbreak in March, are now trying to figure out if it could have become more contagious. 

 

So far, there are about 8,800 people who have died from the virus and more than 22,000 people have been infected. 

 

Hundreds of blood samples have been taken from Ebola patients and are now being analysed. 

 

"We know the virus is changing quite a lot," said human geneticist Dr Anavaj Sakuntabhai.

 

"That's important for diagnosing (new cases) and for treatment. We need to know how the virus (is changing) to keep up with our enemy."

 

"We've now seen several cases that don't have any symptoms at all, asymptomatic cases.”

 

"These people may be the people who can spread the virus better, but we still don't know that yet. A virus can change itself to less deadly, but more contagious and that's something we are afraid of."