Who sees what you flush? Wastewater surveillance for public health is on the rise, but a new survey reveals many US adults are still unaware

Public health officials monitor sewage in local communities to track COVID, polio, flu and more. But no one asks the people being monitored for their permission – raising some questions and concerns.

Rochelle H. Holm, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Louisville • conversation
Oct. 31, 2022 • ~6 min

Wastewater monitoring took off during the COVID-19 pandemic – and here's how it could help head off future outbreaks

Over 800 sites across the US report coronavirus data from sewage to the CDC. Here’s how this kind of surveillance system works and what it can and can’t tell you.

Carol Wilusz, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University • conversation
May 4, 2022 • ~10 min

Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19

As the world waits for vaccines against COVID-19, testing wastewater can give communities and smaller locales, such as school districts, valuable signals about infections trends.

Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona • conversation
Nov. 24, 2020 • ~11 min

/

1