Wastewater surveillance study suggests onsite monitoring could aid efforts against disease spread

Checking Wastewater Can Help Spot Illness Early, New Study Finds

A new study found that testing wastewater (sewage) at specific buildings can help spot local outbreaks of viruses early — even before bigger health programs notice them. Some places even used this information to stop the spread of illness. The study was done by Jay Bullen from Untap Health in London, Charlotte Hammer from the University of Cambridge, and other researchers. It was published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health.

When people get sick with viruses like COVID-19 or flu, small bits of the virus leave their body in their poop. This virus material (called viral RNA) ends up in the wastewater system. By testing the water at treatment plants, scientists can tell if a virus is spreading in the community. This method has already helped track COVID-19 and polio.

Past research has mostly looked at big areas like cities. But this new study looked at smaller places, such as individual buildings, to see if testing at that level is helpful.

The researchers tested wastewater every day at five locations in the U.K.:

• An office

• A senior citizens’ center

• A museum

• A university co-working space

• A care home

These places had between 50 and 2,000 people. The team tested the water for viruses like COVID-19, flu, RSV, and norovirus.

They found that virus levels in the wastewater matched up with what was happening at each site — like when staff got sick, cleaning rules changed, or during holidays.

At the care home, where people had less outside contact, the wastewater showed signs of illness that weren’t seen in public health records. But in larger places like the university, the wastewater results were more similar to what national health data showed.

Some of these sites even used the test results to take action, such as cleaning more often or putting up signs reminding people to wash their hands.

The study shows that testing wastewater at the building level can be a smart way to catch illnesses early and help stop them from spreading.

The researchers say:

“Checking wastewater at buildings can find viruses like COVID-19, flu, RSV, and norovirus that national systems might miss. In the future, more places could use this to help prevent disease outbreaks in their local communities.”