Pandemics, pathogens and being prepared: why the work to identify emerging threats never stops | Global development

PRof Emma Thomson is a person who knows something or two about epidemics. As the recently appointed Director of the Medical Research Council, the CVR and Hathco consultant in the world, Thompson is one of the most prominent virus experts in the country.

“We are used to believe that epidemics will happen, perhaps once in our lives. Now, it is certainly during the next few years. It might be tomorrow,” she says.

But Thompson says that the “amazing” progress in technology, including the genetic sequence, the AI’s “AI), enhances the world’s ability to deal with these threats, even at a time when traveling and changing climate makes it more likely. The key will be to keep these capabilities and make sure they are available everywhere.

It seems that global leaders are likely Finally, an agreement is agreed to prepare for the epidemic In May at the World Health Society in Geneva – the United States, which withdrew from the operation. and The deadline was missed earlier In the midst of what the poorest countries can expect from the richer countries in exchange for access to their data and cooperation.

Thompson said that the world “may be more willing than we were in 2019” but with great weaknesses. “I can travel from Glasgow to Uganda within 12 hours – and return – and there is a lot.

“If we also look at the road infrastructure, for example, in Africa, you will see that there is this wonderful improvement in the transportation infrastructure, which is great, and it is related to a better life that people lead. But we also have to prepare ourselves to what it can bring.”

Cases Bird flu In the cattle of the United States MPOX International Emergency It focused on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has recently acquired.

Thompson says that concerns about both fronts are justified, with any constant transfer of bird flu in humans “may be very dangerous.” Although MPOX can already be solved with vaccines, the problem is to get that control to the right places in time.

More anxiety is what the left field can appear.

“If you have asked a world 20 years ago,” Will Corona viruses cause a problem? “Maybe they were laughing at you and said that Corona viruses caused a moderate cold.” Then he came SARS, MERSAnd Covid-19. Likewise, the study of the virus was a “truly neglected” before the emergence of HIV.

Tomson trained in medicine and parasite in Glasgow, later specializing in infectious diseases and completing a doctorate in London and Oxford. She was Obe granted To work in the Covid-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) guidance. The global pioneering program Millions of samples are sequenced by people with virus to track the changes and identify the Kent variable, which is later called Alpha, in late 2020.

She says that this level of sequence is “clear” and not sustainable outside a large ongoing pandemic, but monitoring with the most targeted approach is vital.

In 2022, it was part of a team using sequence techniques, Select tomorrow’s virus As a reason for the outbreak of global ambiguity of acute hepatitis in young children.

Tomson says that the level of possible threat monitoring is a great difference between the two countries. It is currently part of a project that creates sewage control systems in Ugandan hospitals, schools and transportation centers. Similar initiatives underway in the United Kingdom.

“Sewer water, wastewater, is a very good place to search for emerging viruses – and other things, such as antimicrobial resistance,” says Tomson.

Thompson was speaking from Uganda, where an international team launched a study of $ 5.5 million (4.1 million pounds) in Crown CCHF virus.

The African state has already witnessed The outbreak of the Ebola Sudan virus This year, Thompson says his discovery shows the importance of monitoring and research. The first documented case was found in this fascism because the morgue in which their body took “was part of a study that evaluates the value of sequence samples from people who died unexpectedly.”

Thompson is enthusiastic about the capabilities of the new technology, many of which will be discussed on April 23 The Weather Science Network in the United Kingdom. A CVR colleague is used by Amnesty International to predict the proteins that will create a virus, based on his genetic series “and this is a great progress, and will help us design vaccines”In silico‘: On your computer. “

“If a new gate starts,” I hope that these techniques are present to help us. But what worries me is that what you really need is not just tampering with a laboratory in the UK, but there is widespread global flexibility, so that scientists in other countries, such as Uganda, for example, can do this too. “

This is especially important in parts of the world with a very high biological diversity – [such as] It says that Central and South America, the African region and Asia. The next epidemic may come from there. [That’s] So we don’t say it will not come from the United Kingdom, but it is less likely. “

She says pathogens have already adapted to jump from other animals to humans, “sitting there are waiting.” “As our inhabitants extend to the areas of high biological diversity, the risk of jumping to humans is very high. Then we can move it very quickly, all over the world.”