Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33587898›Full record

ReviewThe Lancet. Infectious diseases2021

Genomic-informed pathogen surveillance in Africa: opportunities and challenges.

Seth C Inzaule, Sofonias K Tessema, Yenew Kebede, Ahmed E Ogwell Ouma, John N Nkengasong

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 130 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
130citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
32.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

130 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 210 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Neuropsychiatry genetics in Africa.Nature communications · 2026
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  15. Genomic surveillance ofMicrobial genomics · 2026
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70 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Seth C InzauleAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Sofonias K TessemaAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Yenew KebedeAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ahmed E Ogwell OumaAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
John N NkengasongAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: nkengasongj@africa-union.org.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention · ET

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to incorporate pathogen genomics for enhanced disease surveillance and outbreak management in Africa. The genomics of SARS-CoV-2 has been instrumental to the timely development of diagnostics and vaccines and in elucidating transmission dynamics. Global disease control programmes, including those for tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, foodborne pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance, also recommend genomics-based surveillance as an integral strategy towards control and elimination of these diseases. Despite the potential benefits, capacity remains low for many public health programmes in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to reassess and strengthen surveillance systems and potentially integrate emerging technologies for preparedness of future epidemics and control of endemic diseases. We discuss opportunities and challenges for integrating pathogen genomics into public health surveillance systems in Africa. Improving accessibility through the creation of functional continent-wide networks, building multipathogen sequencing cores, training a critical mass of local experts, development of standards and policies to facilitate best practices for data sharing, and establishing a community of practice of genomics experts are all needed to use genomics for improved disease surveillance in Africa. Coordination and leadership are also crucial, which the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention seeks to provide through its institute for pathogen genomics.

Indexed as

Capacity BuildingGenomicsHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingAfricaCommunicable Disease ControlDisease Transmission, InfectiousHumansLaboratoriesLeadershipPolicyPublic Health SurveillanceWorkforce

Identifiers

PMID33587898
PMCPMC7906676
OpenAlexW3131982567

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.