NEWS – WHO releases list of Priority Pathogens and Emerging Threats

HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 Update

– Over 40 athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris tested positive for COVID-19

– Signals a new global rise in cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO’s Pathogens Prioritisation Report

– Framework for epidemic and pandemic research preparedness

– Result of work by over 200 scientists from 54 countries

– Evaluated evidence related to 28 viral families and one core group of bacteria, encompassing 1,652 pathogens

Priority Pathogens List

– Over 30 pathogens identified as priorities for surveillance and medical countermeasures

– Includes:

    – Sarbecovirus (including SARS-CoV-2)

    – Nipah

    – Ebola

    – Zika

    – Dengue virus

    – Influenza A viruses (including H5 subtype)

    – Mpox

    – Bacteria that cause plague, cholera, pneumonia, dysentery, and non-typhoidal salmonella

Regional Priorities

Southeast Asia region:

    – Bacterial pathogens are priorities, including Vibrio cholera O139 (cholera) and Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 (dysentery)

    – Endemic pathogens include Nipah, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya

Surveillance and Monitoring

– Importance of monitoring priority pathogens for changes in geographical spread, virulence, transmissibility, clinical manifestation, treatment resistance, and vaccine escape properties