Hurray! EBV causes MS New study Helps to improve Vaccination.
EBV-Epstein-Barr Virus, MS-Multiple Sclerosis.
January 16th 2022.
According to the latest study by Harvard University researchers, infection with the Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) Which is also called “The Kissing virus“, is the most reason for Multiple Sclerosis(MS), A neurological disease.
Their findings, which were published this week (January 13th, 2022) in the journal Science, appear to settle a long-standing but difficult-to-prove notion and were welcomed by outside scientists who said attention should now go to prevention and cures.
According to recent data from a National MS Society study, almost 1 million people in the United States have MS.
This is more than double the previously recorded figure. According to the MS Discovery Forum, nearly 200 new cases are diagnosed each week in the United States and approximately 3 million people worldwide.
What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines Multiple Sclerosis(MS) as, “An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis (MS) can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted.
Many investigators believe MS to be an autoimmune disease — one in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its tissues.
In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin that comes under assault. Such assaults may be linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus.”
What are the Risk Factors of Multiple Sclerosis?
Women are more affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) than men.
The disease is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but it can occur at any age.
If you have a family history of MS or reside in a region where MS is more frequent, you are slightly more likely to get this condition.
MS can cause chronic impairment and even death in many situations.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, around 15% of people with MS have one or more family members or relatives who also have MS.
In the event of identical twins, each sibling has a one-in-three probability of contracting the disease.
What are the Causes of Multiple Sclerosis?
According to CDC, It is unknown exactly what causes MS. The most commonly held belief is that a virus or a gene defect—or both—is to blame. Environmental variables may also be involved.
Damage to myelin, nerve fibers, and neurons in the brain and spinal cord is the ultimate cause of MS.
The central nervous system is made up of all of these components. Researchers believe that a combination of genetic and environmental variables is at work, but it’s unclear how.
The link between the immune system and the brain, on the other hand, could be blamed. According to the researchers, the immune system may mistake normal brain cells for alien ones.
Here’s where the new study found the connection between MS and EBV.
The possibility of a link between the two had been investigated for years, but it was difficult to establish conclusively, mainly because EBV is so widespread, affecting approximately 95 percent of adults, and MS symptoms appear a decade after infection.
What are the most common MS symptoms?
MS symptoms are unpredictable, changing in type and intensity from one individual to the next and within the same individual over time.
Symptoms may fade or resolve completely, or they may continue and worsen over time.
MS symptoms include fatigue, tingling and numbness, blurred vision, double vision, fatigue, poor coordination, imbalance, pain, depression, and memory and concentration issues.
MS can also cause tremors, paralysis, and blindness in rare cases.
What is the Cure for MS?
There is also no cure for MS at this time, therapies can help manage symptoms.
MS drugs are intended to reduce the frequency of relapses and decrease the disease’s progression.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved many disease-modifying drugs to treat MS.
What is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Kissing Virus?
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), commonly known as human herpesvirus 4, is a herpes virus. It is one of the most frequent viruses in humans.
The EBV virus can be found all around the world. The majority of people become infected with EBV at some point in their lives.
EBV is a herpes virus that can cause infectious mononucleosis, can live in the host for the rest of their lives. EBV is most usually transmitted by body fluids, particularly saliva, that’s why people call this disease, The Kissing Virus.
Many people are infected with EBV as children. In most cases, EBV infections in children do not generate symptoms, or the symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other minor, transient childhood illnesses.
People who develop symptoms of EBV infection, who are mainly teenagers or adults, recover in two to four weeks.
When you are infected with EBV, the virus becomes inactive in your body.
The virus may recur in some circumstances. This does not necessarily result in symptoms, but persons with compromised immune systems are more prone to experience them if EBV reactivates.
How the Kissing virus - EBV Spreads?
EBV is most usually transmitted by body fluids, particularly saliva. EBV, on the other hand, can transmit by blood and sperm during sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, and organ transplants.
EBV can be spread by utilizing materials that have recently been used by an infected individual, such as a toothbrush or a drinking glass.
The virus is likely to survive on an object for at least as long as it is moist.
Kissing, sharing drinks and food using the same cups, eating utensils, or toothbrushes coming into touch with drool-covered toys.
How to protect ourselves from Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)?
A recent study’s author, Ascherio, said, “Currently, there is no effective approach to prevent or treat EBV infection, but an EBV vaccine or targeting the virus with EBV-specific antiviral drugs could ultimately prevent or cure MS.”
There is currently no vaccination available to protect against EBV infection. You can help protect yourself by not kissing or exchanging drinks, food, or personal belongings, such as toothbrushes, with people who are infected with EBV.
But Do not fear infection when kissing your loved ones, because this month, Moderna initiated a clinical trial of an mRNA EBV vaccine, a step that takes on considerable significance in light of the current discovery.
What is the solution to the MS in the new study's findings?
Thursday, Harvard researchers reported one of the largest studies yet to back the Epstein-Barr theory.
“This is the first study that provides compelling evidence of causality,” said Alberto Ascherio, a senior author of the study and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“This is a significant step since it shows that most MS cases might be avoided by preventing EBV infection and that targeting EBV could lead to the development of a cure for MS.”
They studied blood samples from more than 10 million persons in the United States military and discovered that Epstein-Barr infection raised the chance of MS 32-fold.
The military routinely provides blood tests to its personnel, and the researchers examined samples stored between 1993 and 2013, looking for antibodies that indicate a viral infection.
When they joined the military, only 5.3 percent of recruits had the Epstein-Barr virus. The researchers compared 801 MS cases that were later identified during a 20-year period against 1,566 military members who never developed MS.
Prior to diagnosis, only one of the MS patients had no signs of the Epstein-Barr virus. Moreover, after extensive screening, the researchers discovered no evidence that other viral infections were involved.
The findings “strongly indicate” that Epstein-Barr infection is “a cause rather than a consequence of MS,” according to research author Dr. Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues, who published their findings in the journal Science.
The virus appears to be “the initial trigger,” according to Stanford University’s Drs. William H. Robinson and Lawrence Steinman in an editorial accompanying Thursday’s study.
They did, however, warn that “other fuses must be ignited,” such as genes that may make individuals more prone.
Regardless, the new study is “the strongest evidence to date that Epstein-Barr contributes to causing MS,” said Mark Allegretta, vice president for research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
And he added, “opens the door to potentially prevent MS by preventing Epstein-Barr infection.
Harvard Study finds EBV, From “may cause of MS ” to “Cause of MS”, As Moderna continues advances in EBV Vaccination.
Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel said: “The start of this Phase I study is a significant milestone as we continue to advance mRNA vaccines against latent viruses, which remain in the body for life after infection and can lead to chronic medical conditions.”
So, Now worry less about EBV, and kiss your loved ones.
