World Health Organization High Priority Pathogens: Ophthalmic Disease Findings and Vision Health Perspectives

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Sanjana Kuthyar, Emory University; Casey L. Anthony, Emory University; Tolulope Fashina, Emory University; Steven Yeh, Emory University; Jessica Shantha, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-04-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10040442
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Pathogens
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 4
• Grant/Funding Information: National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number K23 EY030158 (Shantha) and R01 EY029594 (Yeh).; Funding support is also provided by the Macula Society Retina Research Foundation Cox Family Grant, Bayer Global Ophthalmology Awards Program, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Mallinckrodt Foundation Young Investigator Award (Yeh), Santen, Inc, the Stanley M. Truhlsen Family Foundation, Inc., and the Sitaraman Family Foundation.; This project was supported by unrestricted departmental grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. to the Emory Eye Center, Emory University School of Medicine, National Eye Institute/ National Institutes of Health core grant P30-EY06360 (Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine)
• Keywords: uveitis; ophthalmic manifestations; ebola virus disease; viral persistence; Epidemiology; Clinical features; ophthalmic sequalae; retinitis; posterior uveitis; COVID-19; Virus disease; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; marburg virus disease; Outbreak; Fever; Microbiology; anterior uveitis; Eye; ebola survivor; Science & Technology; emerging infectious disease; Ocular complications; tear film transmission
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Microbiology; Health Sciences, Opthamology

Abstract

Recent Ebola epidemics, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and emerging infectious disease threats have highlighted the importance of global infectious diseases and responses to public health emergencies. Ophthalmologists are essential health care workers who provide urgent and emergent vision care services during outbreaks and address the ocular consequences of epidemic and pandemic infectious diseases. In 2017, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) identified high priority pathogens likely to cause a future epidemic with the goal of guiding research and development to improve diagnostic tests, vaccines, and medicines. These measures were necessary to better inform and respond to public health emergencies. Given the ocular complications associated with emerging infectious diseases, there is a need to recognize the ophthalmic sequelae for future vision health preparedness for potential future outbreaks. The WHO High Priority pathogens list provides a roadmap for ophthalmologists and subspecialty providers that will guide strategic areas of research for clinical care and preparedness for future pandemic threats. This review summarizes these key viral pathogens, summarizes major systemic disease findings, and delineates relevant ocular complications of the WHO High Priority pathogens list, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Filovirus diseases (Ebola virus disease and Marburg hemorrhagic fever), human Coronaviruses, Lassa Fever, Nipah virus infection, Zika, and Rift Valley fever.