Pandemic Prevention: We Need Comprehensive Surveillance Testing At All Major Airports
If a Pandemic-Potential Pathogen is to spread internationally, it will have to pass through a national port of entry. If it does, then it will likely leave a trace. Since the air travel network is the major risk for spreading PPPs, we should test airports regularly: wastewater, sewerage, surfaces, and (voluntarily) passengers. Major nodes such as Heathrow, Schipol, Changai, and Dubai should be especially vigilant. If all developed countries were performing comprehensive surveillance testing at their main ports of entry, we could find novel PPPs much quicker and before they had established themselves overseas. This would greatly reduce the risk of all future PPPs, and for pennies in the dollar (if even) when compared to the cost of a pandemic.
Another idea we are exploring is to sample wastewater in military barracks. Since our military go to several countries for various interventions. They represent an important group too in the process. However, optimization of metagenomics processes and cost is critical.
Interesting. That makes sense. The military are often ‘guinea pigs’ for testing and experiments.
I expect the cost of this testing would fall over time as our technology improves and we become more precise and efficient in our use of it. But, that is an assumption.
I also think that if we can put these policies in place in the developed world then fewer of these pandemic-potential pathogens will reach the developing world. Had the EU and the USA reacted faster and more competently to Covid, the likes of India and South America could have been spared a lot of cost and suffering.
Pandemic Prevention: We Need Comprehensive Surveillance Testing At All Major Airports
If a Pandemic-Potential Pathogen is to spread internationally, it will have to pass through a national port of entry. If it does, then it will likely leave a trace. Since the air travel network is the major risk for spreading PPPs, we should test airports regularly: wastewater, sewerage, surfaces, and (voluntarily) passengers. Major nodes such as Heathrow, Schipol, Changai, and Dubai should be especially vigilant. If all developed countries were performing comprehensive surveillance testing at their main ports of entry, we could find novel PPPs much quicker and before they had established themselves overseas. This would greatly reduce the risk of all future PPPs, and for pennies in the dollar (if even) when compared to the cost of a pandemic.
Another idea we are exploring is to sample wastewater in military barracks. Since our military go to several countries for various interventions. They represent an important group too in the process. However, optimization of metagenomics processes and cost is critical.
Interesting. That makes sense. The military are often ‘guinea pigs’ for testing and experiments.
I expect the cost of this testing would fall over time as our technology improves and we become more precise and efficient in our use of it. But, that is an assumption.
I also think that if we can put these policies in place in the developed world then fewer of these pandemic-potential pathogens will reach the developing world. Had the EU and the USA reacted faster and more competently to Covid, the likes of India and South America could have been spared a lot of cost and suffering.