A landmark study led by Duke-NUS Medical School revealed that despite the recent pandemic, outbreak detection efforts remain under-resourced in South and Southeast Asia, with only about half the countries reviewed having integrated pathogen genomic surveillance initiatives in their national plans. Published in Nature Microbiology today, the study also identifies key priorities to enhance the preparedness of the region against future pandemics. The study, conducted over 12 months between 2022 and 2023, analyses responses on genomic sequencing capacity for pathogen detection from 13 out of 19 countries that make up South and Southeast Asia.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of genomic surveillance, which was vital in identifying SARS-CoV-2, monitoring its variants and designing COVID-19 vaccines. Initially focused on tracking SARS-CoV-2, these investments are now being used to address other disease priorities including drug-resistant tuberculosis, food-borne bacterial infections, dengue or to track the avian influenza A (H5N1) current outbreak. While all 13 countries have national capacity for genomic sequencing, only 7 of the 13 assessed countries have integrated pathogen genomic sequencing into their national strategic plans for infectious disease surveillance.
Additionally, only 6 countries have established guidelines for using pathogen genomics for infectious disease surveillance. The absence of national guidelines for pathogen genomic surveillance complicate.