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Strengthening Environmental Surveillance to Advance Public Health Action

Project description

Genomic surveillance to detect communicable diseases in wastewater

Sub-Saharan Africa is grappling with poverty-related challenges and the emergence of infectious diseases. To address these issues, environmental surveillance systems play a role in detecting outbreaks. This approach allows for the implementation of data-driven public health policies in a manner that is both socially and ethically acceptable. The EU-funded ODIN project aims to improve the infrastructure in sub-Saharan countries for the management of genomics and bioinformatics databases. This includes the capability to generate, maintain and query extensive sets of genomic epidemiology data. The project will also provide comprehensive training activities to support these endeavours. At its core, it will establish a genomic surveillance system by monitoring primary communicable disease agents and antimicrobial resistance in wastewater.

Objective

The ODIN project aims at strengthening capacity for genomics and bioinformatics database management skills for generating, maintaining, and querying large genomic epidemiology data sets in sub-Saharan countries. To reach this goal, ODIN will develop a genomic surveillance system relying on environmental monitoring of major communicable disease agents and antimicrobial resistance in community wastewater and other environmental samples containing human and animal excreta. In a socially and ethically acceptable anonymous manner, environmental surveillance systems follow the trends in prevalence and may detect the outbreaks of communicable diseases in human communities and to convey this information to key stakeholders for the efficient implementation of data-driven public health policies. A strong and innovative aspect of this project is the combination of various semi-automatic bioinformatics tools for the processing and analysis of genomic epidemiology data, disseminated through a visual dashboard, providing means for timely public health interventions. The ODIN project implements the three pillars of the One Health framework: human health, animal health and the environment, which is crucial for communicable disease epidemiology in resource- and infrastructure-poor regions. Together with extensive training activities, ODIN implementation will result in a substantial strengthening in the capacity and infrastructure in sub-Saharan countries for genomic epidemiology. Networking and capacity building are an integrated part of the project activities and will comprise communication activities with stakeholders and training of MSc and PhD students. By its multi-disciplinary team, ODIN will contribute to setting up a sustainable model for how environmental surveillance systems can support the control of poverty-related and emerging/re-emerging infections in sub-Saharan Africa and promote the public health interventions targeting safe water supply and sanitation.

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2022-01

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Coordinator

LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 396 675,00
Address
Paradisgatan 5c
22100 Lund
Sweden
Region
Södra Sverige Sydsverige Skåne län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
€ 396 675,00

Participants (8)