e-Precision Global Health

Geographic spread of human pathogens continues to change over time. The number of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has roughly quadrupled during the past 50 years. Epidemics are influenced by global changes, including shifts in climate, population, migration, land use and urbanization, sanitation, and interaction between humans and animals, among others [1-3]. Influenza, SARS, MERS, Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue, Yellow Fever and Ebola pose recurring threats to human and animal health and economies. The 2014-15 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone plunged the country into recession: GDP grew 20.2% in 2013, but dropped to 23.5% in 2015 [4]. In 2016, the World Bank estimated the worldwide cost of Zika at US$3.5 billion [5]. EIDs pose other risks, including social distancing, stigmatisation, and strained healthcare systems that disrupt social structures. To identify risk factors and detect and track outbreaks, public health authorities often rely on official surveillance data, which limits their speed and precision.