Fiocruz Genomics Network implements new data dashboard on dengue

The Fiocruz Genomics Network has just implemented a new data visualization dashboard on dengue on its website. The dengue dashboard was developed by Fiocruz researchers with expertise in bioinformatics and data science to provide other research groups, journalists, decision-makers and the general population with data on the dengue serotypes and genotypes circulating in Brazil. The dashboard permits the analysis of individual data from all the states and regions of Brazil, with details on the number of genomes sampled and sequenced over more than five decades of dengue virus circulation in the country.

The dengue dashboard expands Fiocruz’s web efforts of its SARS-CoV-2 dashboard as part of its research collaboration with the GISAID Data Science Initiative since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  "As in the case of the SARS-CoV-2 dashboard, the data will be updated every two weeks so that we can monitor the behavior of the virus", says Tiago Gräf, a virologist at the Carlos Chagas Institute (ICC/Fiocruz Paraná), who is also coordinating the development of the dengue dashboard.

Developed in Python, the data visualization dashboard is available in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Additionally, the frequency of circulation of serotypes is also presented, based on laboratory results (PCR), made available by the Ministry of Health (MS) in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan) since 2007."Although the temporal scope of this data is smaller than the genomic data, the population representativeness is much greater, giving more robust frequency calculations and making it possible to observe the impact of each serotype on the successive dengue epidemics in Brazil", explains Gräf.

Population representativeness makes the analysis more robust, allowing us to observe the impact of each serotype on the successive dengue epidemics that have occurred in Brazil. “At the last meeting of the Network, the Vice Presidency of Research and Biological Collections [VPPCB/Fiocruz] and the Coordination of Health Surveillance and Reference Laboratories [CVSLR/Fiocruz] agreed with the group on the need to expand the scope of the Network, including the genomic surveillance of other pathogens of importance to Public Health, such as arboviruses,” says the Vice President of Research and Biological Collections of Fiocruz, Lourdes Oliveira. "The launch of the dashboard consolidates this action, which is absolutely strategic in the context of health surveillance, as it makes it possible to identify the (re)emergence of viral variants and serotypes, as well as to analyze their spatio-temporal dispersion".

According to Lourdes, “this information provides a better understanding of epidemiological scenarios, viral dissemination and geographical specificities, among other aspects that are central to adapting public policies, allocating resources and interventions aimed at tackling and responding to epidemics and emergencies in Public Health.”