Genomic-informed pathogen surveillance in Africa: opportunities and challenges.
Lancet Infect Dis
; 21(9): e281-e289, 2021 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33587898
ABSTRACT
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to incorporate pathogen genomics for enhanced disease surveillance and outbreak management in Africa. The genomics of SARS-CoV-2 has been instrumental to the timely development of diagnostics and vaccines and in elucidating transmission dynamics. Global disease control programmes, including those for tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, foodborne pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance, also recommend genomics-based surveillance as an integral strategy towards control and elimination of these diseases. Despite the potential benefits, capacity remains low for many public health programmes in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to reassess and strengthen surveillance systems and potentially integrate emerging technologies for preparedness of future epidemics and control of endemic diseases. We discuss opportunities and challenges for integrating pathogen genomics into public health surveillance systems in Africa. Improving accessibility through the creation of functional continent-wide networks, building multipathogen sequencing cores, training a critical mass of local experts, development of standards and policies to facilitate best practices for data sharing, and establishing a community of practice of genomics experts are all needed to use genomics for improved disease surveillance in Africa. Coordination and leadership are also crucial, which the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention seeks to provide through its institute for pathogen genomics.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis
/
Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa
/
Genômica
/
Fortalecimento Institucional
/
Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala
/
Vigilância em Saúde Pública
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article