WHO unveils framework to uncover origins of new pathogens

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a global framework to investigate the origin of new and re-emerging pathogens.

Developed with the support of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of novel pathogens (SAGO), the comprehensive guide aims to help member states conduct thorough scientific investigations into the sources of novel pathogens, WHO said, in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the global health body, the pioneering framework fills a critical gap in the existing toolkit for outbreak investigations, providing a structured approach to understanding the origins of new pathogens.

It stated that as the world continues to grapple with the threat of emerging diseases like Ebola, Nipah, and SARS-CoV-2, this framework is a timely and vital resource.

Re-emergence of Ebola, other diseases

The re-emergence of Ebola, Nipah, and SARS-CoV-2 has significant public health implications.

Ebola re-emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, causing the second-largest outbreak in history, and has continued to cause sporadic cases and outbreaks in Africa.

Nipah virus, a deadly zoonotic virus spread through animal-human contact, contaminated food, or human-to-human transmission, causing respiratory and brain diseases with high mortality, re-emerged periodically, primarily in Southeast Asia, with recent outbreaks in India and Bangladesh resulting in significant morbidity and mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has ravaged the world since 2020, with ongoing transmission and new variants emerging.

These re-emerging diseases highlighted the importance of the WHO’s global framework for investigating the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, enabling swift action to prevent and contain future outbreaks.

The WHO emphasises that the ability to swiftly contain outbreaks and identify their origins is more critical than ever, with significant scientific, moral, and financial implications. This framework serves as a “how-to” guide, which will be updated regularly based on user feedback

By providing a unified approach to investigating pathogen origins, the WHO aims to enhance global preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks, ultimately protecting human and animal health worldwide.

Framework

The organisation stated that global framework for investigating new pathogen origins consists of six key elements: early investigations to identify exposure sources and pathogen characteristics, human studies to understand epidemiology and transmission, human-animal interface studies to identify animal reservoirs, environmental studies to investigate insect vectors and environmental presence, genomics and phylogenetics to analyse pathogen evolution, and biosafety/biosecurity studies to determine if laboratory breaches contributed to the outbreak, adding that this structured approach helps in understanding the origins of new pathogens.

It also revealed that the framework guides investigators in tracing new pathogen origins, promoting swift info sharing, and One Health approach to prevent global health crises.

Rapid and transparent sharing of findings

WHO explained that to achieve the goals of the framework, countries need to conduct investigations into the origins of new pathogens and share their initial findings in a rapid, complete, and transparent manner as soon as results are available, stating that this timely sharing of information is crucial to ensure the swift implementation of measures to mitigate further transmission, prevent new spillover events, and ultimately, prevent future pandemics.

By sharing findings promptly and transparently, countries can facilitate a coordinated global response, accelerate the development of effective countermeasures, and protect public health worldwide, WHO noted.

WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said understanding epidemic origins is a scientific and moral imperative.

He said: “Understanding when, where, how and why epidemics and pandemics begin is both a scientific imperative to prevent future outbreaks, and a moral imperative for the sake of those who lose their lives to them.

“This framework provides for the first time comprehensive guidance on the studies that are needed to investigate the origins of emerging and reemerging pathogens. If it had been in place when COVID-19 struck, the quest to understand its origins may have been less contentious and more successful. WHO continues to call on China to share all information it has on the origins of COVID-19, so that all hypotheses can be investigated.”

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About SAGO

SAGO was established in November 2021, comprising independent global experts, with a mission to develop a global framework for understanding emerging and re-emerging pathogens’ origins, identifying the best technical and scientific approaches.

As part of WHO’s enhanced health emergency preparedness and prevention system, SAGO collaborates with WHO, member states, and health and scientific partners to strengthen global health security.