[Answered] Briefly describe the concept of Genomic surveillance. Also, highlight the significance of Genomic surveillance in the present times.

Genomic surveillance is the process of constantly monitoring pathogens and analyzing their genetic similarities and differences. Genomic surveillance works on the basis that everything with a genome (humans, animals, plants, bacteria, viruses etc.) needs to replicate their genetic material in order to reproduce, and this result in changes known as mutations.

Various public health programmes – from Ebola to cholera – use genomic surveillance to understand a pathogen at its molecular level, but COVID-19 has highlighted the challenges of bringing genomics to scale. Genomic surveillance is critical for stronger pandemic and epidemic preparedness and response.

Significance of Genomic surveillance:

• Genomic surveillance of pathogens could provide unique insights to understand the outbreak better and provide immense opportunities for public health decision making as well as for epidemiology.
• Genomic surveillance of pathogens provides insights by following a molecular approach for contact tracing and understanding the transmission of the virus across the world.
• Through genomic surveillance, scientists track the spread of variants, monitor changes to the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Collectively, this information is used to better understand how variants might impact public health.
• This technology has been critical, from the identification of a novel coronavirus, to the development of the first diagnostic tests and vaccines, to the tracking and identification of new virus variants.
• Genomic surveillance helps public health officials determine the rate of pathogen evolution, and understand if a pathogen is changing in ways that could impact diagnostic or therapeutic effectiveness.
• With several genome sequences of the monkeypox virus available in public databases, it is possible today to understand the prevalence of different lineages of the virus across different regions.

WHO has endorsed genomic surveillance as a worldwide priority and cites the previous successes achieved in Ebola virus disease and influenza. With COVID-19 continuing unabated and monkeypox around the corner, there is need to build a sustainable system for genomic surveillance in India.