Universiti Malaya’s Dr Lam Sai Kit, who discovered the Nipah virus, said future outbreaks could be contained with the help of genome sequencing.
Scientists use genome sequencing to check changes in the Covid-19 virus locally and internationally to see how it spreads and find common traits in different cases.
Speaking to FMT, Lam said while mutated viruses are usually insignificant, the new double and triple mutation Covid-19 virus is cause for concern, because it is more infectious and less affected by vaccines.
“Since we do not do much genome sequencing in the country, we cannot be sure how widespread these mutants or variants are, or whether other mutants are present. We may even have home-grown variants of which we are unaware.
“As such, there is a need for Malaysia and other countries in the region to step up and conduct more genome sequencing. Malaysia is just not doing nearly enough genome sequencing,” said the scientist.
Lam said it is “worrying” that new variants have been imported into the country and, hence, stricter border controls are needed. He said the suspension of flights to and from India is the right move.
He said what the authorities can do now is adopt next-generation sequencing tools so that public health officials can formulate appropriate policies and help those developing vaccines with critical evidence such as new strains.
Lam said lack of funding for genome sequencing has prevented countries like Malaysia from doing more, with the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) bearing the burden of testing all Covid-19 samples in the country.
“It is understandable if IMR can’t conduct more genome sequencing but there are academic institutions and private companies that can pitch in to help out.
“Our findings should be shared and made available on several different databases, websites and platforms such as GISAID since Covid-19 does not respect borders and effective viral genome surveillance needs to be a global concern,” he said.
As of January, Malaysia has contributed 300 genome sequences to the international database, compared to 4,000 provided by Thailand, it was reported.
Universiti Sains Malaysia virologist Dr Kumitaa Theva Das said the government could consider funding public universities with expertise on genomic sequencing to help carry out further studies on newer strains.
She said staffing at public universities and teaching hospitals could be improved, as most are held back due to Covid-19 testing work.
“Double or triple mutant means that the virus has mutated at least twice compared to the initial strain in 2019.
“Most mutations may not negatively impact us, but the ones that increase transmission, increase lethality or can avoid being detected by our immune response, our body’s defences, can be worrying.
“With more funding, we can carry out more studies on understanding the impact of the new mutant virus,” she said.
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