John Nkengasong

Predicting Pandemics: Mobilizing an Active Global Surveillance System

Dan Diamond, Francis deSouza, Margaret Hamburg, John Nkengasong

Despite unprecedented advances in viral sequencing speed during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts identified critical systemic gaps in global pathogen surveillance that relied on serendipitous discovery rather than proactive networks. Highlighting stark disparities between nations like South Korea and underserved regions in Africa, leaders such as Francis D'Souza and Dr. Hamburg outlined a $100 million Genomics Initiative and advocated for a sustainable public-private partnership to fund a "One Health" approach. This collaborative strategy aims to integrate human, animal, and environmental monitoring through modern genomic technologies, ensuring real-time detection of emerging threats while addressing the political and structural barriers that hindered previous pandemic responses.