Which epidemic event significantly demonstrated the practical value of genomic surveillance between 2014 and 2016?

The Ebola epidemic

The Ebola epidemic spanning from 2014 to 2016 served as a critical, real-world proving ground for genomic surveillance techniques. While the technology existed to sequence the virus, the epidemic highlighted the weakness in the overall *system*—the processes for rapid data collection, analysis, and actionable response implementation. Tracking the Ebola virus’s rapid evolution and spread within affected communities using genomic data showed public health experts that this approach could provide crucial insights that traditional surveillance methods might miss. This event proved the necessity of moving beyond mere sequencing capability toward establishing robust, integrated surveillance and response pipelines.