The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Saturday the creation of a global network to help protect populations from infectious disease threats through pathogen genomics.
The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will be an interconnected platform between countries and regions and will serve to improve sample collection and analysis systems, using this information to guide decisions in public health systems.
“The goal of this new network is ambitious, but it can also play a vital role in health security: to give all countries access to genomic sequencing and analysis of pathogens as part of their public health system,” said Saturday the director- WHO General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, quoted in a statement.
Pathogenic genomics analyzes the genetic code of viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing organisms to understand their infectiveness and mortality.
With this data, researchers and public health officials will be able to identify and track diseases to prevent and respond to outbreaks in a broader surveillance system to develop treatments and vaccines.
“As has been clearly demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is stronger when it comes together to combat health threats,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
According to the WHO, covid-19 has highlighted the crucial role that pathogen genomics plays in responding to pandemic threats.
“Without the rapid sequencing of the SARS-COV-2 genome, the vaccines would not have been as effective or made available as quickly. New and more transmissible variants of the virus would not have been identified so quickly, ”he indicated.
“Genomics is at the heart of effective epidemic preparedness and response, as well as part of ongoing surveillance for a wide range of diseases, from foodborne illness, influenza, tuberculosis and HIV [Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana]”, he added.
Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah said global collaboration on genomic surveillance of pathogens “has been crucial in the global fight against covid-19.”
“IPSN builds on that experience, creating a robust platform for partners across industries and borders to share knowledge, tools and practices to ensure that pandemic prevention and response are innovative and robust going forward.”
Despite the recent increase in genomic capacity in countries as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many still lack effective systems to collect and analyze samples. Not enough data, practices, and innovations are shared to build a robust global health surveillance framework.
Argentina is one of the countries “committed to developing” its capacity in pathogenic genomics.
“Diseases do not respect borders: a disease threat in one country is also a threat to others. We look forward to collaborating with IPSN members to achieve our common goal of preventing disease and saving lives,” said the director of the National Center for Diseases. Control and Prevention Genomics and Bioinformatics of Buenos Aires Josefina Campos.
IPSN brings together experts from around the world at the forefront of genomics and data analysis, from governments, philanthropic foundations, multilateral organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector.
All entities, according to the WHO, share a common goal: to detect and respond to disease threats before they become epidemics and pandemics and to optimize surveillance.
Source: TSF
