Disease surveillance in the post-COVID-19 era

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the political value of disease surveillance mechanisms and tools. At the forefront of the response to this pandemic has been the extended use of genetic technologies to identify and map the changing nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This was demonstrated most clearly in the identification of emerging new genetic variants from Alpha to Omicron. The knowledge regarding the genetic make-up of this virus was instrumental in the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR) that revealed the burden of disease across certain populations (see Long 2023). This article investigates the impact that the use and spread of genetic technologies to combat this pandemic has had on the field of disease surveillance and the potential changes that it may bring in the future. In particular, it will focus on efforts to develop new global genomic surveillance strategies and the implications that this can have for the future of disease surveillance efforts within the One Health agenda.