Empowering the healthcare ecosystem for precision health transformation is crucial in our pursuit of a healthier future. By adopting cutting-edge technologies, patient-centric approaches, and data-driven insights, we can revolutionise healthcare. This article explores the fundamental steps needed to bridge the growth gap and unlock fresh opportunities in this transformative journey.

Patient education: empowering individuals for better health

One crucial aspect that often goes unnoticed is patient education. It is imperative to enhance consumer knowledge regarding health management, enabling them to lead healthier lives for longer periods. This entails educating individuals about health and wellness practices, helping them understand their health results (such as lab diagnostics, genomic findings, and other medical reports), and guiding them on disease management.

By prioritising patient education, healthcare providers can empower individuals to actively participate in their own well-being.

Improving healthcare access: building stronger infrastructure

Across Asian countries, enhancing healthcare access is a critical requirement. The Quintuple Aims —better patient experience, improved population health, reduced costs, enhanced clinician well-being, and optimised healthcare systems — can only be achieved by improving accessibility to care in these regions.

Related: Pioneering integrated diagnostics in precision medicine

While health equity and similar aims are emphasised in the Western region, the fundamental first step for the Asian region lies in enabling access to quality healthcare. This involves establishing robust infrastructure that supports the growing demand for medical services.

Digital tools as catalysts for transformation

To transition from sick care to healthcare, leveraging the vast array of digital tools available is essential. Incorporating these tools will help build an extensive digital data repository focused on healthcare. Data has become the new currency of the healthcare industry, enabling research on biomarkers — both digital and clinical — to uncover disease patterns and drivers of wellness. This wealth of information will enable precision health initiatives, empowering individuals to proactively pursue wellness based on personalised inputs derived from this data.

Related: Data-driven future of healthcare

Strengthening the ecosystem for seamless transition

The Think Tank highlighted several crucial elements that are currently missing from the healthcare ecosystem, inhibiting the transition from sick care to healthcare:

• Consumer and patient drive: The demand for healthcare transformation is increasingly being fuelled by younger, tech-savvy generations who are health-conscious. Their expectations and engagement are driving the need for change.
• Parallel wellness infrastructure: A parallel caregiving infrastructure focused on wellness is necessary to alleviate the burden on existing healthcare providers and systems, which are already overwhelmed with curative care. By shifting the focus towards wellness, the ecosystem can foster a proactive approach to healthcare.
• Seamless connectivity: Establishing appropriate connections between the wellness-focused parallel ecosystem and the existing curative infrastructure is vital. This ensures smooth patient handoffs at the right times, facilitating a holistic approach to healthcare delivery.
• Empowering patients: Equipping patients with the knowledge and skills to manage their own health is crucial for a successful transition. By providing comprehensive health and wellness education, individuals can take charge of their well-being, reducing their reliance on acute care and fostering a preventive mindset.

Conclusion

By prioritising patient education, improving healthcare access, leveraging digital tools, and strengthening the healthcare ecosystem, we can bridge the growth gap and unlock unprecedented growth opportunities.

With a collective focus on these critical areas, healthcare stakeholders can drive meaningful change, leading to a future where individuals are empowered to manage their health and well-being effectively.

Consolidated views of Reenita Das, Partner, Senior Vice President, Frost & Sullivan; G. Sarvanan, Group Chief Information Officer, Thomson Hospital; Dr. Ali Tinazli, CEO, lifespin GmbH; Sebastian Guhrs, Head of Investment, Aescuvest.

This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

To know more about The Precision Health Transformational Journey and upcoming Frost & Sullivan Growth Council Think Tanks, click here

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Health officials globally are keeping track of new COVID-19 variants, which reportedly have several mutations. The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated a new lineage, known as BA.2.86, as a "variant under monitoring" last week.

BA.2.86, which is being referred to as "Pirola", went on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) watch list last Thursday after being added to the WHO's SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring list. However, there has been a low number of officially reported cases of this variant. It has been identified in Denmark, the UK, the US, and Israel, and there is no evidence that it spreads quickly or results in more severe sickness.

New COVID-19 mutations

Reports have highlighted that the origins of BA.2.86 differ from the variation targeted by current vaccines because it is generated from an "earlier branch" of the Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the CDC has revealed that another strain, FL.1.5.1, is the second-most common strain in the US, accounting for 13.3 per cent of cases. The number of circulating variants thought to be FL.1.5.1, also known as "Fornax," has nearly doubled from the previous week. Given that they both carry the F456L mutation and have descended from the same XBB variant, EG.5 or Eris and FL.1.5.1 appear to be spreading more quickly.

Related: COVID variant Eris raises concerns as health officials monitor potential threat

Although BA.2.86 has descended from a different Omicron variant and has been conclusively linked to seven cases of COVID-19 worldwide (at the time of writing), experts believe it may be more common. Due to the numerous mutations these variants carry, scientists are particularly worried about it.

The spike protein, which the virus uses to infect human cells and which our immune systems use to identify it, has undergone several mutations. WHO has urged countries to continue COVID-19 surveillance and sequencing but has stated that there is "limited information available right now" on BA.2.86.

Related: Latest COVID spike raises alarm: What's next?

The news of BA.2.86 and FL.1.5.1 comes days after the COVID-19 variant EG.5 swept across the globe. According to health officials, the rapidly spreading variant, also known as Eris, was claimed to be the dominant strain circulating in the US, with a high number of cases and hospitalisations. EG.5 was designated as a "variant of interest" by WHO because its prevalence has increased in contrast to other variations. A little over 20 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the US were linked to EG.5 at the end of the third week of August, more than any other strain, according to estimates from the CDC. 

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Recently, a press conference was held in Tokyo announcing the plans to launch Japan Health, an international exhibition for medical devices and healthcare.

Speakers at the press conference included Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, Director of Osaka Police Hospital and Specially Appointed Professor at Osaka University, who initiated Japan Health and representatives from the Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, and the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, who will be supporting the exhibition.

Large-scale events for medical devices are held every year in various countries around the world, providing a valuable stage that facilitates companies from different countries in entering the market, forming alliances, and encouraging innovation. By hosting a large-scale international event like Japan Health in Japan and promoting Japan’s advanced technology and medical services to the rest of the world, it is hoped that this will stimulate the Japanese medical and healthcare industries overall. It aims to encourage competitiveness and innovation and contribute to medical institutions, patients, and societies around the world.

Related: Future outlook of the global medical tourism industry

As it ties in with the themes of life and co-creation that are central to EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the Japan Health exhibition will be held as an event related to the exposition. Japan Health will also be held annually from 2026 onwards as a legacy of the EXPO.

At the press conference, Dr. Sawa expressed the opinion that if the Japan Health exhibition becomes a place that creates business opportunities, not only for medical devices but also for fields such as regenerative medicine, then it will be a significant development for Japan.

Representatives from the Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, and the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, who will be supporting the exhibition, spoke about the current situation regarding healthcare and medical devices in Japan, their hopes for Japan Health, and expressed that there will be a unified national effort to prepare for the exhibition.

Exhibition overview

Date: June 25 (Wed) to 27 (Fri), 2025

Venue: Intex Osaka (1-5-102, Nanko-Kita, Suminoe-Ku, Osaka 559-0034）

Website: https://japanhealthonline.com/

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Prenatal genetic diagnosis currently exists in the form of invasive procedures, which carry small risks of miscarriages. But technology in genomics is bringing significant change to the forefront. “Genomics has an influence on prenatal diagnosis in several ways. “For instance, we can now analyse cell free DNA in the mother’s blood, and because this contains foetal as well as maternal DNA we can test for genetic conditions in the foetus by analysing maternal blood samples. We can test for conditions such as cystic fibrosis in families who we know are at increased risk,” said Prof. Dame Lyn Chitty, who holds the unique title of Professor of Genetics and Fetal Medicine at the University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH) in the UK. 

This approach to prenatal diagnosis of monogenic conditions gives fast and earlier results compared to standard invasive techniques, reduces risks to the mother and unborn child by eliminating unnecessary invasive procedures, and ensures optimum labour management as professionals can advise where the baby needs to be delivered to receive a particular type of treatment. An expert in prenatal diagnosis, Prof. Dame Chitty not only leads research in rapid and non-invasive techniques, but she also created the foetal size charts currently used in many units in the UK. Prof. Dame Chitty also worked on the UK Government-funded 100,000 Genomes Project led by Genomics England which involved sequencing whole genomes from the patients of National Health Service (NHS).

Related: Genome sequencing drives population genomics and precision medicine

Prof Chitty was recently bestowed with the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to medicine. She was also recognised by the Academy of Medical Sciences for her outstanding contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science. Her accolades are a testament to her ongoing research to offer families safer testing options to learn about the health of their unborn child.

To date, Prof. Dame Chitty and her team at Great Ormond Street Hospital have performed non-invasive prenatal diagnosis tests for around 200 genetic conditions for nearly 400 families with accurate results. Speaking about the procedure, she explained that it is now possible to track down the abnormal gene in recessive conditions after gathering genetic material from parents and siblings.

“In England, we can also perform the more complicated relative haplotype dosage analysis and offer a definite diagnosis for families at risk of cystic fibrosis, Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and spinal muscular atrophy. We are also validating beta-thalassemia and can start offering this testing to consanguineous families soon,” she added.

Related: Genomics and its rapid evolution in the Middle East

The future of foetal medicine is promising with the rise of in-utero gene therapies for conditions such as spinal bifida and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, according to Prof. Dame Chitty. Addressing the potential of gene therapy in other areas, she added: “We have done a study with the Karolinska Institutet looking at mesenchymal stem cells prenatally to help alleviate osteogenesis imperfecta in babies. There is huge potential here, and in the future at Great Ormond Street Hospital, we will be exploring the possibility of taking some of the therapies from the neonate stage to the foetus.”

If successful, experts would be able to treat certain conditions that start in the uterus and may be able to prevent or reduce damage. “We are also extending the range of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) that we offer for monogenic conditions, working on validating new tests, e.g., for sickle cell where we are looking at new approaches such as digital PCR. We are also looking at long-read sequencing to see if we can improve the diagnostic rates from invasive tests. There are a lot of exciting things going on,” she concluded.

This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

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Aspartame, a type of artificial sweetener widely used in food and beverage products, recently underwent a risk assessment investigating whether its consumption could cause cancer. Carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the assessment cited “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans.

IARC classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans, while JECFA highlighted that there was no sufficient reason to change the previously acceptable aspartame intake of approximately 40 mg/kg body weight.

Related: Rising cancer incidence to fuel US$24.22 billion growth in cancer vaccine market by 2033

However, the agencies emphasised that further research is required to establish a consensus. This opinion is mirrored by healthcare experts, who expressed that it would take a significant amount of aspartame consumption to pose a danger to health.

Impact on the consumption of artificial sweeteners

Dr. Donald D. Hensrud, Internist at the Mayo Clinic in the US, who is an expert in public health, infectious diseases, and occupational health, shared that the term “possibly carcinogenic” in the report does not define the exact risk.

Commenting on the report’s impact on consumers, he said: “This is speculation, but some people may decrease their intake of foods that contain aspartame in response to this new information. The absolute risk of cancer is low, and it would require a fair amount of aspartame consumption over many years to increase the risk even by a small amount. Even if people changed their behaviour and decreased their consumption, it may not greatly change healthcare outcomes.”

Ali Tariq, Founder of Fivescore Labs, a UAE-based consumer longevity brand, added: “The updated classification of aspartame may indeed have implications around promoting healthy dietary choices and managing chronic diseases related to sugar consumption. This new classification would likely encourage further research into the safety of aspartame and its alternatives. There might also be increased monitoring of health outcomes associated with aspartame consumption amongst broader population groups.”

Public awareness on the intake of artificial sweeteners

According to Dr. Hensrud, the actual outcome and exact risk would need to be determined in population studies that compare the use of aspartame against a control.

To understand the risk better, healthcare systems and regulatory bodies need to collaborate to conduct further research on the potential health effects of aspartame, such as population studies, clinical trials, or lab-based studies.

Related: Harness the power of cancer immunotherapy 

According to Tariq, data sharing would be necessary across stakeholder groups to achieve this. Global healthcare systems could provide data on health conditions that may be linked to aspartame consumption, while regulatory bodies could provide data on food and drink consumption, product safety assessments, and the regulatory status of aspartame in various countries.

As for public policy around matters regarding healthcare, this is a complex issue that may require balancing the risks associated with aspartame consumption against the risks associated with sugar consumption and obesity, including diabetes and heart disease.

“The ultimate goal would be to guide the public towards the safest and healthiest dietary choices,” concluded Tariq.

In 2018, long before the artificial intelligence (AI) bandwagon started careening down the mainstream, DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, developed a program named AlphaFold to predict protein structures faster and more accurately than biologists. Predicting protein shapes is a key aspect of drug development, disease treatment, and treatment research, but it is a traditionally long and arduous process. Faster, more affordable medication may soon be within reach thanks to AI automation across the entire drug development pipeline.

However, even this promised panacea had its Achilles’ heel. MIT researchers found that AlphaFold is only concretely useful in one step of drug discovery: modelling the structure of the protein. The system cannot model how a drug physically interacts with the protein. AlphaFold may not be a catch-all in drug discovery, but it started a conversation that is now funnelling millions of dollars in investment into key markets across Asia and beyond. According to Deep Pharma Intelligence, investments in AI-backed drug discovery have tripled over the last four years, reaching a staggering US$24.6 billion in 2022.

The post-COVID-19 factor

During the pandemic, economies worldwide relied on AI-based medication discovery rather than traditional vaccine detection processes, which take years to create and are equally expensive, contributing to the market’s growth. For example, Pfizer collaborated with AI businesses to develop COVID therapies, which were approved in less than two years, compared to the typical 10-year process.

Related: AI-powered growth in healthcare: early trends and learnings

By using big scientific databases, reviewing drug candidates in silico, and expediting high-content screening tests with automated data processing, AI has proven its mettle in cutting drug discovery costs and delays. Now, the industry is making strategic decisions to bounce back post-COVID-19 through a big R&D push to bring advanced and accurate AI software to the market.

The current drug discovery process involves a time-consuming and costly trial-and-error approach. It costs approximately US$1.3 billion and 10 years to bring a new therapeutic drug to market, and this cost is expected to rise.

Clinical trials also have a notoriously high rate of failure — over 90 per cent by some estimates — which means eliminating trial and error might save businesses a lot of money while getting drugs from the lab to market more quickly.

The potential revenue is enormous; financial analysts at Jeffries estimate that Takeda’s move may generate up to US$3.7 billion in annual sales. Morgan Stanley estimates that the next 10 years may spawn up to 50 new AI-driven medicines worth more than US$50 billion in sales.

AI is a long-term strategy

Huawei Cloud is adopting a long-term investment strategy in AI-assisted drug design. The Huawei Cloud Pangu Drug Molecule Model, developed with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, helps pharmaceutical companies build small[1]molecule drugs. The model uses data from over 1.7 billion compounds to streamline the process for researchers to then run targeted experiments to verify efficacy.

“AI could effectively function as a virtual chemist, helping researchers design and identify novel molecules that are likely to interact with drug targets,” says Dr. Qiao Nan, Head of Huawei Cloud EI Health.

According to Qiao, AI could shrink R&D costs by up to 70 per cent while helping scientists discover novel lead compounds in months rather than years.

Related: The Future of Medicine: AI's Journey in Healthcare

“This would make more potential drug candidates available for clinical trials, lifting the overall success rate in what traditionally has been hit-or-miss process and increasing the odds that a new chemical compound will eventually become an effective, life-saving drug.”

On the back of this success, Huawei launched a unique AI-assisted commercial pharmaceutical SaaS platform in China to help companies reduce the costs of trial and error, while accelerating the discovery of lead compounds from several years to just one month. The SaaS platform is slated to expand internationally, starting with APAC, the Middle East, and further afield.

Building a strong AI talent pipeline

AI applications lower the R&D gap in the drug manufacturing process and aid in targeted medication manufacturing. As a result, biopharmaceutical companies are turning to AI to increase their market share. However, AI for drug discovery requires machines to replicate human intellect to address complex drug development difficulties — a tall order for any platform that is meant to be a tool. Its success depends on how and by whom it is used.

Currently, China is leading the global AI industry, housing over 60 per cent of big data experts across sectors. As more industry segments begin to rely on AI, players in healthcare will need to start preparing for a gap between supply and demand for talent. The alternative, as seen by incumbents including Sanofi, Merck, and GSK, is growth through collaboration or acquisition.

As the demand for messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in Southeast Asia increased during the pandemic, Singapore quickly established itself as a hub for AI, robotics, and manufacturing for leading pharmaceutical companies to open their regional headquarters. The small city-state is home to 30 contract manufacturing facilities, most of which are foreign-owned, if not partially backed.

According to GlobalData’s Contract Service Provider database, Merck currently owns three facilities in Singapore, and Novartis and GSK each own two facilities. “New opportunities will emerge as the biomanufacturing industry undergoes major changes brought about by the rapid pace of digitalisation, Industry 4.0, and the need for greater sustainability,” says Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive of Singapore’s Science and Engineering Research Council, A*STAR.

Recently, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical has partnered with AI tech startups and hired additional data scientists to address this. AI is part of Takeda’s long-term strategy to save money and time by speeding up the medication development process.

In May, the global pharma giant acquired US-based AI startup Nimbus Therapeutics for US$4 billion. The start-up used AI and machine learning algorithms to pick a compound to treat psoriasis out of thousands of other molecules. The experimental drug has already passed the first two phases of human trials, meaning it could be one of the first therapies discovered with AI if it passes the final trials this year. AI is shifting the drug discovery paradigm by extracting hidden patterns and evidence from vast biomedical data, dramatically improving the clinical trial process while mining old drugs for new applications. The result is expected to bring treatments to patients faster.

This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

Access the must-read eBook on AI here to discover perspectives on its transformative role in the healthcare industry.

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With the recent popularity of AI, healthcare organisations are beginning to experiment with its usage towards decision-making, revenue growth, and other business  requirements. Healthcare providers are on the cusp of a new era where AI can become a powerful enabler of growth. With some early adopters who are charting the path ahead, some useful learnings are emerging. Whether it is standalone tools (e.g., ChatGPT) or complex solutions that integrate with the various IT platforms, there is a lot that is possible in healthcare business and management.

AI-enabled C-Suite for growth

A C-Suite that is fully empowered with data integration for future predictions is soon going to be a reality. A predictive tool integrated with the EMR, and the ERP systems can forecast the occupancy rates, profitability, budget shortfalls, staff requirements, OT utilisation and many other KPIs with reasonable accuracy. 

Related: AI and digital accessibility drive holistic well-being

Once the machines learn the previous data and trends. This will enable C-Suite to take preventive actions and prioritise well in advance. Imagine the power that a management team will have if business volumes, requirements, and bottlenecks can be predicted months in advance. It is a given that a proactive, AI-enabled CEO will have an upper hand over his/her adversaries who are still in the older, reaction-based management world.

Automation in healthcare 

Automation is another key aspect that can influence AI-powered growth for healthcare players. By implementing standalone or integrated automation solutions, healthcare organisations can streamline various basic workflows and reduce manual tasks, thus bringing costs down. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been around for some time and can further be leveraged for more efficiency.

RPA can be applied for appointment scheduling, insurance pre-approvals, patient reminders and follow-ups, and a host of other things that require basic and mundane manual tasks. With automation, the speed is higher and the chances of human errors are minimised. What’s more, an automated robot program works seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

Related: AI-powered tools drive diagnostic precision in anatomical pathology

One great use case can be a chatbot or a virtual assistant that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide automated and personalised interactions with patients. In fact, some large global brands are planning virtual clinics based on this model where initial diagnosis or triage can be done with no or minimal human involvement. 
Imagine, an international patient gets triaged in advance for his treatment in another country through a completely automated bot. The bot reads his reports and processes his demographic data to ascertain the treatment pathway before the actual journey even begins. 

It must not, however, be presumed that human involvement in healthcare will be reduced and jobs will become redundant. What may happen is that the human element will be more available for tasks that need empathy, understanding, complex decision-making, and listening, instead of repetitive mundane work.

Personalisation for patient retention

Personalisation plays a crucial role in patient experience, and subsequently, retention. Leveraging AI capabilities, healthcare providers can analyse patient medical history, preferences, and transaction data to deliver highly personalised care and messages. This personalised approach can extend beyond treatment recommendations to include preventive healthcare, cross referrals to other services, fitness plans, dietary advice, and relevant product suggestions. 

Further, the messaging for all these additional suggestions and advice can be created using various AI tools and patients can be engaged through SMS, e-mails, chatbots, and more. Eventually, the conversion and compliance can be measured and patients who drop out of the loop can be retrieved using a well-designed process.

Content generation

AI tools facilitate the generation of relevant and engaging content for healthcare marketing. Automated content creation, such as blog posts, social media updates, and educational materials saves time, money and other resources while maintaining a consistent online presence. 

Some suggested tools that can add value to a hospital’s marketing team are as follows.

• Beautiful AI: Create presentations in seconds. 
• Audo.ai: Automatically removes background noise and enhances your speech using the latest advancement in audio processing and artificial intelligence.
• Qissa.ai: A content writing tool like ChatGPT, however, seems to have a better quality of content.
• Notion.ai: Content creation, grammar check, and translation into other languages.
• Klaviyo: SMS/Newsletter creation. SMS creation keeps in mind mobile-compliant regulations as well.
• Carma: AI-enabled media monitoring
• Veed: Create and edit videos fast for social media.
• Jasper AI: Copywriting tool that creates content automatically.
• Runway: Video editing software: change the video background and delete items in videos.

To conclude, AI is here to stay. Healthcare providers who adopt early and learn to harness its power will stand to gain a competitive edge. They will excel at improving patient care, increasing retention, and optimising operational efficiency. Their teams will be able to communicate and promote the brand better using personalisation, 
automation, and content generation. In addition, AI can result in overall cost reduction for healthcare.

The leaders of these organisations will be at a greater advantage as they can use predictive analysis and current data in the form of real-time dashboards. This will enable proactive and better decision-making. These are exciting times with plenty of new learnings on the cards. Only if you learn, you can grow. 

Vivek Shukla is a Senior Healthcare Growth Advisor

This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

Access the must-read eBook on AI here to discover perspectives on its transformative role in the healthcare industry.

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A novel strain of COVID-19, named Eris has been labelled as a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO) despite being assessed as low risk to public health.

Eris, also known as EG.5, comes from the lineage of Omnicron or XBB.1.9.2. Its prevalence is rapidly expanding worldwide, affecting countries like the UK, China, and the US and most recently, the Middle East region.

Health authorities in Kuwait have confirmed that the latest strain of COVID-19 has been detected in the country.

Although the acute chapter of the pandemic was a thing of the past with WHO declaring COVID-19 as no longer a global health emergency, the emergence of the Eris has witnessed cases of COVID increase in recent weeks, with infection numbers rising to 7.2 per 100,000 in the last month.

Spread of Eris strain worldwide

EG.5, is a sub-variant of the Omicron strain of COVID-19. Omicron initially gained notoriety for triggering a surge in infections around the world in late 2021. WHO designated EG.5 as a variant of concern as it is currently spreading in over 51 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Spain, and the UK.

Related: The rise of Omicron: what does it mean for the healthcare community?

In the US, EG.5 has taken a significant hold, becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19. According to data from the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 17.3 per cent or one in six new COVID cases in the country can be attributed to its sub-variant, EG.5.

Symptoms and impact of Eris

EG.5 presents a range of symptoms that varies from person to person. For most individuals, the symptoms are relatively mild and include a dry cough, headaches, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and fatigue. However, the overall impact and severity of the COVID variant remain subjects of ongoing research and investigation, according to Dr. Kristin Englund, Infectious Disease Specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

Healthcare system response and vulnerable populations

Healthcare systems, including institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, have observed a slight increase in COVID-related cases and visits to emergency departments. “COVID is contagious, and anyone can get the virus. However, we know that there are populations who are at an increased risk for serious illness and hospitalisation if they get it,” said Dr. Englund.

Related: Latest COVID spike raises alarm: What's next?

EG.5, like its predecessors, is highly contagious, affecting individuals across all age groups. However, certain populations are more vulnerable to severe illness and hospitalisation. The CDC highlights that older individuals, those who are immunocompromised, individuals with specific disabilities, and those with underlying health conditions are at high risk.

Preventive measures to control the spread of Eris

Health officials stress the importance of individual and collective actions to control the spread of EG.5 and other COVID variants. The most effective method of protection is getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and receiving booster shots when recommended.

In addition to vaccination, Dr. Englund recommends:

• Hand hygiene: Wash hands with soap and water regularly or use hand sanitisers.
• Mask usage: Use masks, especially in crowded or poorly ventilated settings.
• Staying home when sick: Avoid public spaces and gatherings when experiencing symptoms of illness.
• Avoiding crowded spaces: Minimise time spent in enclosed areas with poor ventilation.

As the situation with the COVID-variant Eris unfolds, health authorities focus on the need to be vigilant, staying informed through reliable sources, and following guidance from public health agencies. The collective efforts of individuals, communities, and nations are essential in navigating the challenges posed by this new phase of COVID variants, according to WHO.

 Timeline of COVID-variant Eris (EG.5)

Source: World Health Organisation (WHO)

• February 17, 2023: EG.5, a descendant of XBB.1.9.2 with a similar amino acid profile to XBB.1.5, was identified. 
• June 19 to July 23, 2023: EG.5 is most reported at 49.1 per cent. 
• July 19, 2023: It was designated a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). It carries the F456L mutation compared to its parent subvariants and has a subvariant EG.5.1 with an additional Q52H spike mutation.
• August 7, 2023: Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) received 7,354 EG.5 sequences from 51 countries, predominantly China (30.6 per cent), followed by the US (18.4 per cent) and Korea (14.1 per cent). EG.5 prevalence rose from 7.6 per cent to 17.4 per cent between weeks 25 and 29 of 2023. 

Despite its prevalence, the global public health risk of EG.5 is assessed as low, showing increased prevalence and immune escape properties without changes in disease severity. WHO recommends member states take actions, such as sharing growth advantage information, conducting neutralisation assays, and evaluating severity indicators. The risk evaluation will be updated as more data become available. 

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