Back in July, scientists detected noninfective fragments of coronavirus RNA in raw sewage at Yosemite National Park, revealing, unfortunately, that visitors had been carrying—and depositing—the virus since the park reopened the previous month. Though it may seem a bit unsavory, studying human waste can tell us a lot about COVID-19 and give governments a leg up on containing the spread of the virus. Researchers can predict if the coronavirus might attack a community by checking sewers for viral fragments in the community's poop; preliminary studies from earlier this year, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), academia, and other research organizations, indicated that communities might see an increase of the coronavirus in wastewater two to four days before a spike in hospitalizations. Using this wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach, the public health community is banding together to identify and treat health threats in a non-invasive way. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently joined a multiagency WBE initiative that will not only gather virus data from sewer systems but standardize the science. The coalition is led by the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System, whose goal is to turn sewers into health monitors. CDC is also collaborating with the Department of Health and Human Services and agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, and DHS, to accelerate the WBE research. The goal is to better understand the spread of the virus in communities to contain and defeat it. | | | | |
U.S. Department of Homeland Security ·
www.dhs.gov · 202-282-8000
*the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally
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