(Stanford, California, Tuesday, February 3, 2026) – During the winter months, infectious diseases like flu, RSV, and COVID-19 typically rise across the country. Tracking these viruses is essential to helping prevent their spread and keeping communities healthy. Wastewater is increasingly being used to detect and monitor infectious diseases. This information is shared with public health officials and the public so they can make more informed decisions.
WastewaterSCAN is a national wastewater monitoring program that partners with municipal wastewater treatment plants across 40 states. The program tracks more than a dozen pathogens, including respiratory viruses, gastrointestinal viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus; as well as reemerging diseases like measles, and posts timely results on its free, publicly available data dashboard.
Dr. Alexandria Boehm, professor at Stanford University, and WastewaterSCAN principal investigator explains more.
SOUNDBITE 1:
WHEN PEOPLE TAKE A SHOWER, USE THE BATHROOM, OR BRUSH THEIR TEETH, THEY CAN SHED TRACES OF VIRUSES LIKE THE FLU – EVEN IF THEY DON’T FEEL SICK. WASTEWATER MONITORING USES SAMPLES COLLECTED AT SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS, WHERE EVERYONE’S WASTE IS COMBINED, TO TEST FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE LIKE FLU, RSV, AND COVID. IT CAN SERVE AS AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BY PROVIDNG A COMMUNITY-WIDE SNAPSHOP OF WHAT’S CIRUCULATING AND WHETHER LEVELS ARE RISING, FALLING, OR STAYING THE SAME.
SOUNDBITE 2:
THESE DATA HELP PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS, INDIVIDUALS, AND COMMUNITIES MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND OTHERS FROM SEASONAL AND EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. WASTEWATERSCAN TRACKS MORE THAN A DOZEN DISEASES IN 147 COMMUNITIES ACROSS 40 STATES, AND PROVIDES THE RESULT DATA ON A FREE, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DASHBOARD.
To learn more and to access your local data, visit https://data.wastewaterscan.org/.