The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will provide a platform linking countries and regions to improve sample collection and analysis systems. It will be based on genomics, which consists of sequencing the genome of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
The data collected will feed into a broader surveillance system to identify infectious diseases in order to intervene to prevent their spread and to develop treatments and vaccines. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the new scheme as "ambitious"