Scientists discover new virus spread by blood transfusions - should you be scared?

Health experts have discovered a new virus which is spread by blood transfusions and have been unable to find out what it does to the human body. The bug is similar to feared blood-borne viruses like hepatitis C, which can cause life-endangering liver damage. But is also resembles the strange pegivirus, which has been shown to extend the life of HIV patients by blocking the replication of the virus. The hepegivirus 1 (HHpgV-1) bug was unknown to science until researchers from Columbia University spotted it in a number of blood samples. They decided to use modern techniques to look again at an experiment conducted between 1974 and 1980, reanalysing 44 people's blood using the very latest technology. The team were shocked to find an unknown virus, which was only found in people who had received a blood transfusion. However, it appears as if the patients managed to clear the virus from their systems without suffering the effects of disease. Researchers then tested the blood of 106 haemophiliacs who had received transfusions and found two people with the virus - one of whom carried the bug for more than five years without any apparent ill effect. Although the findings sounds scary, it could actually lead to better screening of blood. The human body is known to carry around lots of viruses, which don't all necessarily have negative effects. If we are able to find the innocuous bugs in blood, it would mean we are also able to detect all the nasty ones and make life safer for anyone who receives a transfusion.