Translation of genomic epidemiology of infectious pathogens: Enhancing African genomics hubs for outbreaks

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a viral outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on the 30th January 2020 (WHO, 2020b). Seven months into COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cumulative cases remain steadily on the increase. As at 3rd August 2020, 17,660,523 cases had been detected, with 680,894 deaths globally. Africa contributes 4.5% of global morbidity and 2.0% of fatalities (WHO, 2020a).

Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - August 11, 2020 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Mary Aigbiremo Oboh, Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke, Olumide Ajibola, Jarra Manneh, Abdoulie Kanteh, Abdul-Karim Sesay, Alfred Amambua-Ngwa Tags: Perspective Source Type: research