Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE)

The Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of priority viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of such viruses.

About

Background

In June 2020, the WHO established the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) which was an independent and multidisciplinary advisory group of experts that assessed the public health implications of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. The TAG-VE discussed the implications of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 for timely risk assessment and to inform WHO policy, such as the designation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

With the expansion of the sequencing capacity across almost all countries, more and more genetic data for a variety of pathogens is being generated, which allows tracking of pathogen’s genetic changes and studying their phenotype and the associated implications for public health policy and research needs.

With the success of the SARS-CoV-2 specific TAG-VE, WHO decided to expand this platform to include other priority viruses with epidemic and pandemic potential. At this time, viruses such as MERS-CoV, monkeypox virus and dengue virus are among the first to be prioritized by the new TAG-VE. The membership of the TAG-VE comprises a balance between virus-specific and cross-cutting expertise.