The Surveillance in Infectious Disease Control Role of Genomic

Abstract

Infectious disease surveillance is central to global public health, enabling the early detection, monitoring, and control of outbreaks. Traditional surveillance methods—relying on clinical diagnoses, laboratory confirmation, and epidemiological investigations—are often constrained by delays, underreporting, and limited resolution in differentiating pathogen strains. The integration of genomic technologies has transformed infectious disease control, offering unprecedented precision and timeliness. High-throughput sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, and metagenomic approaches allow for rapid pathogen identification, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) detection, and real-time outbreak investigation. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the power of genomic surveillance in tracking variants, informing vaccine updates, and guiding public health responses. Beyond viral threats, genomics has proven critical in monitoring multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and foodborne pathogens. Despite these advances, challenges remain, including disparities in global sequencing capacity, data-sharing limitations, privacy concerns, and high infrastructure costs. This review underscores the transformative potential of genomics in infectious disease surveillance while emphasizing the need for equitable access, international collaboration, and ethical governance. As sequencing becomes increasingly affordable and integrated with bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, genomic surveillance is poised to become a cornerstone of resilient, responsive, and precision-driven public health systems worldwide.