(Atlanta, Georgia, Tuesday, October 29, 2024) – During the fall and winter months, seasonal viruses like flu, RSV, and COVID-19 begin circulating. Wastewater monitoring provides data that communities and local health leaders can use to make health decisions and curb the spread of infectious diseases. The ability to track virus levels as they rise or fall, often before these trends appear in clinical data, helps families and communities protect themselves and each other.
WastewaterSCAN is a nationwide wastewater monitoring program working with municipal wastewater treatment plants that serve 39 million people in nearly 150 communities across the country. The program tracks many seasonal and emerging viruses through wastewater and posts timely results to its free and publicly available data dashboard within 48 hours of receiving a sample.
Dr. Marlene Wolfe, Assistant Professor at Emory University and Program Director at WastewaterSCAN, explains more.
SOUNDBITE 1:
STAYING HEALTHY DURING RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON STARTS WITH STAYING INFORMED. SCIENTISTS ARE USING WASTEWATER DATA TO TRACK THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, INCLUDING FLU, R-S-V, AND COVID-NINETEEN. THIS DATA HELPS PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS, INDIVIDUALS, AND COMMUNITIES MAKE INFORMED HEALTH DECISIONS, SO THAT THEY CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER FROM SEASONAL AND EMERGING DISEASES.
SOUNDBITE 2:
EVERY TIME WE BRUSH OUR TEETH, FLUSH THE TOILET, OR TAKE A SHOWER, WE ARE CREATING WASTEWATER. WASTEWATERSCAN WORKS WITH MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO TEST AND DETECT TRACES OF VIRUSES IN WASTEWATER, INCLUDING RESPIRATORY VIRUSES LIKE FLU, R-S-V, AND COVID-NINETEEN. WASTEWATER MONITORING DATA FROM WASTEWATERSCAN IS FREE AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, SO YOU CAN TRACK THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES DURING RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON AND YEAR-ROUND.
To learn more, visit https://data.wastewaterscan.org/.