( 4 minutes read)
· The African Union Commission with the help of a group of public, private and non-profit organizations launched the US$ 100 million Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI)
· Genomic sequencing technologies help public health specialists and researchers to understand pathogens in greater detail
· It offers a more efficient, accurate and cheaper way for researchers to track the slightest genetic changes in pathogens which may cause disease outbreaks across a population.
The African Union Commission with the help of a group of public, private and non-profit organizations launched the US$ 100 million Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI).
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention will also be involved in the project. The project is named as the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) envisages a four-year partnership to expand access to next-generation genomic sequencing tools and expertise designed to strengthen public health surveillance and laboratory networks across Africa.
This new initiative will build a continent-wide disease surveillance and laboratory network using pathogen genomic sequencing to help identify and inform research and public health responses to COVID-19 and other epidemic and endemic threats.
Genomic sequencing technologies help public health specialists and researchers to understand pathogens in greater detail. It offers a more efficient, accurate and cheaper way for researchers to track the slightest genetic changes in pathogens which may cause disease outbreaks across a population. Genomic sequencing has been essential in shaping the global COVID-19 response. It has been used to develop accurate diagnostics, guide the development of vaccines, monitor the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, and understand its transmission dynamics.
