Roadmap for the development of disease control strategies for coronaviruses

Warning signal and monitoring

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Warning signal and monitoring

Research Question

Development of effective early warning systems to detect and monitor coronaviruses

Poor, costly surveillance systems (particularly among wildlife) and a lack of sufficiently reliable diagnostics
Limited trust among stakeholders and transparency in information sharing among and between countries
Limited resources (including capacity and financial support) – requires effective targeting to likely sources of transmission (prioritisation)
Interoperability and linkage with public health data
Consideration for seasonality of different pathogens in different geographical regions is required

Study factors which contribute to novel pathogen emergence or spillover to better understand where and when to intervene
Define and identify ‘hot-spot’ areas for risk-based surveillance and targeted sequencing of isolates
Conduct a cost-effectiveness modelling study to assess monitoring systems across different scenarios
Utilise sensors and artificial intelligence (predictive analytics) to identify early warning signs of coronaviruses in ‘digital farms’
Utilise ‘citizen science’ to support for wildlife surveillance
Integrated surveillance of farms, domestic and wild animals (in high-risk areas)

Acceptability of reporting (citizen science and agricultural industry self-reporting) needs to increase
Cost-effective and continuous surveillance systems need to be developed/utilised
Availability of accurate cost models and prevalence estimates
Continuous training and professional development on disease preparedness. This includes provision of tools and knowledge to local communities, particularly in high-risk, remote areas, to support early monitoring
Consistent consideration of wildlife and ecology in peacetime is required
Collaboration among different countries to develop shared surveillance and early warning protocols, and prompt data reporting to WAIHS. Standardised surveillance strategies should include who, what, where and when to collect samples, and for what pathogens
Development of a One Health systems approach using innovative technologies