Researchers analyzing wastewater say routine monitoring at wastewater treatment plants could provide a powerful early warning system for the next flu or norovirus epidemic, alerting hospitals to prepare and providing public health agencies with vital health information.
In the first large scale and comprehensive wastewater-based epidemiology study in the U.K., scientists at the University of Bath, Bangor University and the U.K. Heath Security Agency analyzed wastewater from 10 cities for both chemical and biological markers of health, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and disease-causing viruses.They collected samples from each location at hourly intervals over 24 hours on nine days in November 2021. The
