Leveraging Genomic Data for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Personalized Medicine: Advances in Public Health Genomics and COVID-19 Pathway Analysis

In public health, the arrival of genomic data greatly enhanced infectious disease surveillance, personalised medicine and the global response to pandemics. This Review examines how genomic sequencing became a vital tool for identifying pathogens, tracking virus evolution, and tracing transmission chains, with case studies on COVID-19 variants such as Delta and Omicron. Genomic sequencing has also led to breakthroughs in personalised medicine and pharmacogenomics, whereby drug efficacy and adverse reactions are optimised for individual patients. Genomic surveillance is now a critical tool for detecting emergent threats, monitoring disease spread, and evaluating the efficacy of public health interventions, from contact tracing to vaccines. These genomic approaches have saved thousands of lives during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The paper ends on a positive note about the advances in public health genomics and underscores the value of continuing investment in genomic technologies to safeguard global health security.