Environmental surveillance as a sentinel for emerging outbreaks: Lessons from mpox in Africa
October 30, 2025
The ODIN-Mpox initiative demonstrates how environmental surveillance can revolutionize epidemic preparedness in Africa. By integrating wastewater genomics with real-time public health response, the project identifies mpox outbreaks—even in remote, non-sewered communities—days or weeks before clinical cases emerge. African-led, EU-supported, and One Health–oriented, ODIN-Mpox strengthens laboratory capacity, trains local scientists, and links surveillance directly to policy and outbreak response. Its success underscores that genomic early warning is not optional but essential infrastructure. To prevent future zoonotic crises, governments and donors must embed environmental surveillance into national preparedness plans, ensuring sustainable, equitable, and actionable epidemic intelligence across the continent.
The resurgence of mpox in Africa has highlighted persistent gaps in conventional surveillance, delayed outbreak detection, and the urgent need for innovative early warning systems. The ODIN-Mpox initiative, supported by Horizon Europe and Global Health EDCTP3, exemplifies how environmental surveillance—combining wastewater genomics, portable field labs, and robust public health integration—can transform epidemic preparedness. By capturing pathogen signals from entire populations, including asymptomatic carriers, ODIN-Mpox enables earlier detection of mpox outbreaks in regions where clinical reporting is limited or delayed.
Operational across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and in partnership with European laboratories, ODIN-Mpox employs static and mobile platforms to sequence mpox sublineages in real time. Standardized protocols, bilingual SOPs, and a comprehensive laboratory handbook ensure harmonized methodologies, while training over 50 African scientists creates a sustainable skills base. This approach links surveillance directly to local policy decisions, outbreak alerts, vaccination campaigns, and public health responses, establishing a model of African-led genomic preparedness strengthened by equitable North–South collaboration.
Beyond technology, ODIN-Mpox addresses equity and sustainability. Environmental surveillance is embedded within national health systems, supporting vulnerable populations in remote and mobile communities, and aligns with WHO, EU, and Africa CDC frameworks for genomic data sharing and regional resilience. By institutionalizing these capacities, countries can move from reactive outbreak response to proactive prevention, detecting silent transmission before epidemics escalate.
The ODIN-Mpox experience demonstrates that environmental surveillance is more than a research tool—it is critical health infrastructure. Policymakers and donors must recognize its value, integrate genomic monitoring into national preparedness plans, and provide long-term support for laboratory networks, training, and open data systems. By doing so, nations can safeguard public health, protect communities, and advance a One Health vision where human, animal, and environmental health converge to prevent the next pandemic before it begins.