tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2022 Nov 13.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.28308. Online ahead of print.
Approaching COVID-19 with epidemiological genomic surveillance and the sustainability of biodiversity informatics in Africa
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Helen Huang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Wireko Andrew Awuah[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Aashna Mehta[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jacob Kalmanovich[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Toufik Abdul-Rahman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Vladyslav Sikora[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Aeshah A Awaji[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
COVID-19 is an acute respiratory illness caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case was reported in Africa on 14th February 2020 and has surged to 11 million as of July 2022, with 43% and 30% of cases in Southern and Northern Africa. Current epidemiological data demonstrate heterogeneity in transmission and patient outcomes in Africa. However, the burden of infectious diseases such as malaria creates a significant burden on public health resources that are dedicated to COVID-19 surveillance, testing, and vaccination access. Several control measures, such as the SHEF2 model, encompassed Africa's most effective preventive measure. With the help of international collaborations and partnerships, Africa's pandemic preparedness employs effective risk-management strategies to monitor patients at home and build the financial capacity and human resources needed to combat COVID-19 transmission. However, the lack of safe sanitation and inaccessible drinking water, coupled with the financial consequences of lockdowns, makes it challenging to prevent the transmission and contraction of COVID-19. The overwhelming burden on contact tracers due to an already strained healthcare system will hurt epidemiological tracing and swift counter-measures. With the rise in variants, African countries must adopt genomic surveillance and prioritize funding for biodiversity informatics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: “Africa”; “COVID variants”; “COVID-19 pandemic”; “SARS-CoV-2 infection”; “biodiversity”; “bioinformatics”; “genomic surveillance”; “phylogenetics”.
. 2022 Nov 13.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.28308. Online ahead of print.
Approaching COVID-19 with epidemiological genomic surveillance and the sustainability of biodiversity informatics in Africa
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Helen Huang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Wireko Andrew Awuah[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Aashna Mehta[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jacob Kalmanovich[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Toufik Abdul-Rahman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Vladyslav Sikora[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Aeshah A Awaji[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36372783
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28308
Abstract
COVID-19 is an acute respiratory illness caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case was reported in Africa on 14th February 2020 and has surged to 11 million as of July 2022, with 43% and 30% of cases in Southern and Northern Africa. Current epidemiological data demonstrate heterogeneity in transmission and patient outcomes in Africa. However, the burden of infectious diseases such as malaria creates a significant burden on public health resources that are dedicated to COVID-19 surveillance, testing, and vaccination access. Several control measures, such as the SHEF2 model, encompassed Africa's most effective preventive measure. With the help of international collaborations and partnerships, Africa's pandemic preparedness employs effective risk-management strategies to monitor patients at home and build the financial capacity and human resources needed to combat COVID-19 transmission. However, the lack of safe sanitation and inaccessible drinking water, coupled with the financial consequences of lockdowns, makes it challenging to prevent the transmission and contraction of COVID-19. The overwhelming burden on contact tracers due to an already strained healthcare system will hurt epidemiological tracing and swift counter-measures. With the rise in variants, African countries must adopt genomic surveillance and prioritize funding for biodiversity informatics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: “Africa”; “COVID variants”; “COVID-19 pandemic”; “SARS-CoV-2 infection”; “biodiversity”; “bioinformatics”; “genomic surveillance”; “phylogenetics”.