And now, the subgenus Sarbecovirus, of which SARS-CoV-2 is a member, is on the list of ‘priority pathogens’ in the WHO’s recently-released ‘Pathogens Prioritization’ report. The final list comprises over 30 ‘priority pathogens’. The list of priority pathogens, says Chennai-based infectious diseases specialist Subramanian Swaminathan, is a pointer towards the pathogens that governments could allocate resources towards, for surveillance and medical countermeasures. It may be recalled that early this year, the WHO had updated the Bacterial Pathogens Priority List (BPPL) and this had included gram-negative bacteria resistant to last resort antibiotics, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to the antibiotic Rifampicin. “What we need is more data and more research, but crucially, more low-cost diagnostics for priority pathogens.

Source: The Hindu August 08, 2024 15:38 UTC