US CDC to expand surveillance of travelers for respiratory viruses

XWELL

06/11/2023 12:06

Nov 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) will expand its traveler-based surveillance
program to include testing for respiratory viruses, partners
Ginkgo Bioworks  DNA.N  and XWELL  XWEL.O  said on Monday.
    The expansion, to be launched at four of the seven
participating airports, comes ahead of the fall and winter
months in the United States when viruses that cause respiratory
diseases such as influenza and respiratory synctial virus
(RSV)usually circulate more heavily. 
    CDC has warned that it expects hospitalizations from
COVID-19, RSV infections and flu this year to be similar to last
year's numbers, higher than the pre-pandemic levels.
    Ginkgo and XWELL said they will monitor over 30 new viruses,
bacteria, and antimicrobial resistance targets including
seasonal respiratory pathogens such as influenza A and B, RSV,
and SARS-CoV-2 as part of the expansion. 
    The expansion will launch at New York's John F. Kennedy
International Airport, San Francisco International Airport,
Boston Logan International Airport and Washington Dulles
International Airport. 
    The surveillance program is a public-private partnership
between the health agency, Ginkgo's biosecurity and public
health unit, Concentric, and XWELL's diagnostic testing service,
XpresCheck. 
    The agency conducts voluntary nasal swabbing and airport
wastewater sampling as part of the program, aimed to help with
early detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogens. 

 (Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini
Ganguli)
 ((Bhanvi.Satija@thomsonreuters.com; Outside U.S. +91
9873062788;))