Your search found 17 records
1 Abhishek; Bhamoriya, V.; Gupta, P.; Kaushik, M.; Kishore, A.; Kumar, R.; Sharma, A.; Verma, S. 2020. India’s food system in the time of COVID-19. Economic and Political Weekly, 55(15):12-14.
Food systems ; Food supply chains ; Coronavirus disease ; Financial situation ; Markets ; Economic aspects ; Labour / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049665)
(0.25 MB)
India’s complete lockdown has caused unnecessary disruptions in the food supply chain, with the scarcity of labour making it even worse. A sharp decline in demand is imminent with the fi nancial sector being in a freeze and incomes having shrunk for everyone, except for the small salaried class. Consumer sentiment and business outlook on recovery are bleak. While ensuring the free movement of essential goods and availability and safety of labour can mitigate the immediate disruptions in the supply chain, unclogging the financial sector and restoring optimism in the market will take time and heroic efforts from the government.
2 Everard, M.; Johnston, P.; Santillo, D.; Staddon, C. 2020. The role of ecosystems in mitigation and management of Covid-19 and other zoonoses. Environmental Science and Policy, 111:7-17. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.05.017]
Disease management ; Mitigation ; Coronavirus disease ; Zoonoses ; Ecosystem services ; Pandemics ; Disease transmission ; Risk reduction ; Water security ; Natural resources ; Biodiversity ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Sanitation ; Climate change ; Social aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049755)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901120306122/pdfft?md5=5a1de8fe24d4fe0be72f3981ef88f7f2&pid=1-s2.0-S1462901120306122-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049755.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049755.pdf
(1.22 MB) (1.22 MB)
There is rising international concern about the zoonotic origins of many global pandemics. Increasing human-animal interactions are perceived as driving factors in pathogen transfer, emphasising the close relationships between human, animal and environmental health. Contemporary livelihood and market patterns tend to degrade ecosystems and their services, driving a cycle of degradation in increasingly tightly linked socio-ecological systems. This contributes to reductions in the natural regulating capacities of ecosystem services to limit disease transfer from animals to humans. It also undermines natural resource availability, compromising measures such as washing and sanitation that may be key to managing subsequent human-to-human disease transmission. Human activities driving this degrading cycle tend to convert beneficial ecosystem services into disservices, exacerbating risks related to zoonotic diseases. Conversely, measures to protect or restore ecosystems constitute investment in foundational capital, enhancing their capacities to provide for greater human security and opportunity. We use the DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State change-Impact-Response) framework to explore three aspects of zoonotic diseases: (1) the significance of disease regulation ecosystem services and their degradation in the emergence of Covid-19 and other zoonotic diseases; and of the protection of natural resources as mitigating contributions to both (2) regulating human-to-human disease transfer; and (3) treatment of disease outbreaks. From this analysis, we identify a set of appropriate response options, recognising the foundational roles of ecosystems and the services they provide in risk management. Zoonotic disease risks are ultimately interlinked with biodiversity crises and water insecurity. The need to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing at the time of writing creates an opportunity for systemic policy change, placing scientific knowledge of the value and services of ecosystems at the heart of societal concerns as a key foundation for a more secure future. Rapid political responses and unprecedented economic stimuli reacting to the pandemic demonstrate that systemic change is achievable at scale and pace, and is also therefore transferrable to other existential, global-scale threats including climate change and the ‘biodiversity crisis’. This also highlights the need for concerted global action, and is also consistent with the duties, and ultimately the self-interests, of developed, donor nations.
3 Manzanedo, R. D.; Manning, P. 2020. COVID-19: lessons for the climate change emergency. Science of the Total Environment, 742:140563. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140563]
Climate change ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Policy making ; Risk ; Social impact ; Economic aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049820)
(1.06 MB)
The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak pandemic is now a global crisis. It has caused 9+ million confirmed cases and 400,000+ deaths at the time of writing and triggered unprecedented preventative measures that have confined a substantial portion of the global population and established ‘social distancing’ as a new global behavioral norm. The COVID-19 crisis has affected all aspects of everyday life and work, and heavily impacted the global economy. This crisis also offers unprecedented insights into how the global climate crisis may be managed, as there are many parallels between the COVID-19 crisis and what we expect from the imminent global climate emergency. Reflecting upon the challenges of today's crisis may help us better prepare for the future. Here we compile a list, by no means comprehensive, of the similarities and differences between the two crises, and the lessons we can learn from them: (i) High momentum trends, (ii) Irreversible changes, (iii) Social and spatial inequality, (iv) Weakening of international solidarity, and (v) Less costly to prevent than to cure.
4 Leung, T. Y.; Sharma, P.; Adithipyangkul, P.; Hosie, P. 2020. Gender equity and public health outcomes: the COVID-19 experience. Journal of Business Research, 116:193-198. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.031]
Gender equity ; Public health ; Coronavirus disease ; Women's participation ; Expenditure ; Political aspects ; Economic aspects ; Population ; Health hazards
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049821)
(0.37 MB)
This paper extends the growing research on the impact of gender equity on public health outcomes using the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as its research setting. Specifically, it introduces a conceptual model incorporating the impact of gender equity and human development on women’s representation in legislature and public health expenditure, and their combined impact with human environment (population density, aging population and urban population) on important public health outcomes in the Covid-19 context, including the total number of tests, diagnosed, active and critical cases, and deaths. Data from 210 countries shows support for many of the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model. The results provide useful insights about the factors that influence the representation of women in political systems around the world and its impact on public health outcomes. The authors also discuss implications for public health policy-makers to ensure efficient and effective delivery of public health services in future.
5 Kulkarni, B. N.; Anantharama, V. 2020. Repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on municipal solid waste management: challenges and opportunities. Science of the Total Environment, 743:140693. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140693]
Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Waste management ; Solid wastes ; Municipal wastes ; Waste collection ; Waste treatment ; Recycling ; Landfills ; Public health ; Risk ; Developing countries ; Socioeconomic environment ; Households
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049832)
(0.96 MB)
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused global emergency and has raised social and economic concerns which will also spill over to environmental issues. Amid this natural experiment, current study evaluates prevailing municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices, with the emphasis on MSW treatment and disposal facilities in select developed and developing countries. The data and information used in this paper is collected from several scientific research papers from different disciplines, publications from governments and multilateral agencies and media reports. Despite limited literature on MSW management during such pandemics, this article presets a global backdrop of MSW management during COVID-19 outbreak and examines various aspects of MSW management. Discussion includes identifying parameters of disease transmission through solid waste handling, consequences of medical waste surge on current municipal waste treatment and disposal systems. Further, based on previous pandemic and disaster waste management studies, this study also presents challenges and opportunities in the aftermath of the ongoing pandemic. The paper recommends alternatives approaches for MSW treatment and disposal and outlines the future scope of work to achieve sustainable waste management during and aftermath of the pandemics.
6 Fleetwood, J. 2020. Social justice, food loss, and the sustainable development goals in the era of COVID-19. Sustainability, 12(12):5027. (Special issue: Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125027]
Sustainable Development Goals ; Coronavirus disease ; Food losses ; Food wastes ; Social aspects ; Food security ; Food supply chains ; Human rights
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049841)
(0.20 MB) (208 KB)
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rest on a set of broadly accepted values within a human rights framework. The SDGs seek to improve human lives, improve the planet, and foster prosperity. This paper examines the human rights framework and the principles of social justice and shows that, while the SDGs do not specifically state that there is human right to food, the SDGs do envision a better, more just, world which rests upon the sufficiency of the global food supply, on environmental sustainability, and on food security for all. Then the paper examines the interrelationships between the SDGs, food access and waste, and human rights within a framework of social justice. Finally, it looks at the potential pandemic of hunger wrought by COVID-19, showing that COVID-19 serves as an example of a crisis that has raised unprecedented challenges to food loss and waste in the global food supply system and tests our commitment to the principles espoused by the SDGs
7 Yaya, S.; Otu, A.; Labonte, R. 2020. Globalisation in the time of COVID-19: repositioning Africa to meet the immediate and remote challenges. Globalization and Health, 16:51. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00581-4]
Globalization ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Economic policies ; Governance ; Public health ; Socioeconomic impact ; Trade agreements ; Funding ; Political aspects / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049842)
https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12992-020-00581-4
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049842.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049842.pdf
(0.55 MB) (560 KB)
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new climate of uncertainty which is fuelling protectionism and playing into nationalist narratives. Globalisation is under significant threat as governments scramble to reduce their vulnerability to the virus by limiting global trade and flows of people. With the imposition of border closures and strict migration measures, there have been major disruptions in Africa’s global supply chains with adverse impacts on employment and poverty. The African economies overly reliant on single export-orientated industries, such as oil and gas, are expected to be severely hit. This situation is further aggravated by tumbling oil prices and a lowered global demand for African non-oil products. The agricultural sector, which should buffer these shocks, is also being affected by the enforcement of lockdowns which threaten people’s livelihoods and food security. Lockdowns may not be the answer in Africa and the issue of public health pandemic response will need to be addressed by enacting context-specific policies which should be implemented in a humane way. In addressing the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on African nations, we argue that governments should prioritize social protection programmes to provide people with resources to maintain economic productivity while limiting job losses. International funders are committing assistance to Africa for this purpose, but generally as loans (adding to debt burdens) rather than as grants. G20 agreement so suspend debt payments for a year will help, but is insufficient to fiscal need. Maintaining cross-border trade and cooperation to continue generating public revenues is desirable. New strategies for diversifying African economies and limiting their dependence on external funding by promoting trade with a more regionalised (continental) focus as promoted by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, while not without limitations, should be explored. While it is premature to judge the final economic and death toll of COVID-19, African leaders’ response to the pandemic, and the support they receive from wealthier nations, will determine its eventual outcomes.
8 Yoshino, N.; Taghizadeh-Hesary, F.; Otsuka, M. 2020. Covid-19 and optimal portfolio selection for investment in Sustainable Development Goals. Finance Research Letters, 101695. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101695]
Sustainable Development Goals ; Investment ; Coronavirus disease ; Economic situation ; Indicators ; Organizations ; Climate change ; Renewable energy ; Greenhouse gas emissions ; Taxes ; Risk assessment ; Models
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049866)
(0.83 MB)
The Covid-19 pandemic and global economic recession has shrunk global energy demand and collapsed fossil fuel prices. Therefore, renewable energy projects are losing their competitiveness. This endangers the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Various consulting companies define the SDGs differently. Institutional investors hire consulting companies and allocate their investment based on the consultants’ suggestions. This paper theoretically shows that the current allocation of investors by considering SDG based on various consulting companies will lead to distortion in the investment portfolio. The desired portfolio allocation can be achieved by taxing pollution and waste such as CO2, NOx, and plastics, globally with the same tax rate. Global taxation on pollution will lead to the desired portfolio allocation of assets.
9 Poch, M.; Garrido-Baserba, M.; Corominas, L.; Perello-Moragues, A.; Monclus, H.; Cermeron-Romero, M.; Melitas, N.; Jiang, S. C.; Rosso, D. 2020. When the fourth water and digital revolution encountered COVID-19. Science of the Total Environment, 744:140980. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140980]
Water systems ; Coronavirus disease ; Drinking water treatment ; Wastewater treatment ; Public health ; Infrastructure ; Hydrological cycle ; Water quality ; Water demand ; Decision making ; Policies ; Climate change
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049867)
(0.75 MB)
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is, undeniably, a substantial shock to our civilization which has revealed the value of public services that relate to public health. Ensuring a safe and reliable water supply and maintaining water sanitation has become ever more critical during the pandemic. For this reason, researchers and practitioners have promptly investigated the impact associated with the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on water treatment processes, focusing specifically on water disinfection. However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacts multiple aspects of the urban water sector besides those related to the engineering processes, including sanitary, economic, and social consequences which can have significant effects in the near future. Furthermore, this outbreak appears at a time when the water sector was already experiencing a fourth revolution, transitioning toward the digitalisation of the sector, which redefines the Water-Human-Data Nexus. In this contribution, a product of collaboration between academics and practitioners from water utilities, we delve into the multiple impacts that the pandemic is currently causing and their possible consequences in the future. We show how the digitalisation of the water sector can provide useful approaches and tools to help address the impact of the pandemic. We expect this discussion to contribute not only to current challenges, but also to the conceptualization of new projects and the broader task of ameliorating climate change.
10 Newell, R.; Dale, A. 2020. COVID-19 and climate change: an integrated perspective. Cities and Health, 6p. (Online first). (Special issue: COVID-19) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1778844]
Coronavirus disease ; Climate change ; Pandemics ; Public health ; Infrastructure ; Resilience ; Community development ; Sustainability ; Economic aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049881)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23748834.2020.1778844?needAccess=true#aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGFuZGZvbmxpbmUuY29tL2RvaS9wZGYvMTAuMTA4MC8yMzc0ODgzNC4yMDIwLjE3Nzg4NDQ/bmVlZEFjY2Vzcz10cnVlQEBAMA==
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049881.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049881.pdf
(1.20 MB) (1.20 MB)
The COVID-19 outbreak has revealed multiple vulnerabilities in community systems. Effectively addressing these vulnerabilities and increasing local resilience requires thinking beyond solely pandemic responses and taking more holistic perspectives that integrate sustainability objectives. Pandemic preparedness and climate action in particular share similarities in terms of needs and approaches for community sustainability. This paper reflects on what the outbreak has illustrated regarding community vulnerability to crises, with a focus on local economy and production, economic diversification, and social connectivity. The paper argues for integrated approaches to community development that increase our capacity to respond to both public health and climate crises.
11 Haddout, S.; Priya, K. L.; Hoguane, A. M.; Ljubenkov, I. 2020. Water scarcity: a big challenge to slums in Africa to fight against COVID-19. Science and Technology Libraries, 39(3):281-288. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2020.1765227]
Water scarcity ; Coronavirus disease ; Slums ; Sanitation ; Water availability ; Water resources ; Freshwater ; Drinking water ; Water conservation ; Population / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049887)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0194262X.2020.1765227?needAccess=true#aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGFuZGZvbmxpbmUuY29tL2RvaS9wZGYvMTAuMTA4MC8wMTk0MjYyWC4yMDIwLjE3NjUyMjc/bmVlZEFjY2Vzcz10cnVlQEBAMA==
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049887.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049887.pdf
(1.08 MB) (1.08 MB)
In the light of the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease, a discussion is attempted on the need for focusing on water scarcity in Africa and the important considerations to conserving water to fight against SARS-CoV-2 virus.
12 Haddout, S.; Hoguane, A. M.; Priya, K. L.; Ljubenkov, I. 2020. Water shortages and pandemics in Africa. The Round Table, 109(4):480-481. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2020.1790784]
Water shortage ; Water scarcity ; Pandemics ; Ebola virus disease ; Coronavirus disease ; Sanitation ; Water use ; Rural areas ; Developing countries / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049889)
(0.32 MB)
13 La Rosa, G.; Iaconelli, M.; Mancini, P.; Ferraro, G. B.; Veneri, C.; Bonadonna, L.; Lucentini, L.; Suffredini, E. 2020. First detection of SARS-CoV-2 [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2] in untreated wastewaters in Italy. Science of the Total Environment, 736:139652. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139652]
Coronavirus disease ; Wastewater treatment plants ; Sewage ; Monitoring ; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ; Public health ; Epidemiology ; Surveillance / Italy / Milan / Rome
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049817)
(0.67 MB)
Several studies have demonstrated the advantages of environmental surveillance through the monitoring of sewage for the assessment of viruses circulating in a given community (wastewater-based epidemiology, WBE). During the COVID-19 public health emergency, many reports have described the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stools from COVID-19 patients, and a few studies reported the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewaters worldwide. Italy is among the world's worst-affected countries in the COVID-19 pandemic, but so far there are no studies assessing the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Italian wastewaters. To this aim, twelve influent sewage samples, collected between February and April 2020 from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Milan and Rome, were tested adapting, for concentration, the standard WHO procedure for Poliovirus surveillance. Molecular analysis was undertaken with three nested protocols, including a newly designed SARS-CoV-2 specific primer set. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was accomplished in volumes of 250 ml of wastewaters collected in areas of high (Milan) and low (Rome) epidemic circulation, according to clinical data. Overall, 6 out of 12 samples were positive. One of the positive results was obtained in a Milan wastewater sample collected a few days after the first notified Italian case of autochthonous SARS-CoV-2.
The study confirms that WBE has the potential to be applied to SARS-CoV-2 as a sensitive tool to study spatial and temporal trends of virus circulation in the population.
The study confirms that WBE has the potential to be applied to SARS-CoV-2 as a sensitive tool to study spatial and temporal trends of virus circulation in the population.
14 Neal, M. J. 2020. COVID-19 and water resources management: reframing our priorities as a water sector. Water International, 45(5):435-440. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2020.1773648]
Water resources ; Water management ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Sanitation ; Hygiene ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Water governance ; Gender equality ; Inclusion ; Urban areas ; Communities
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049909)
(0.45 MB)
15 Khanna, A. 2020. Impact of migration of labour force due to global COVID-19 pandemic with reference to India. Journal of Health Management, 22(2):181-191. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063420935542]
Migrant labour ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Work force ; Employment ; Social security ; Public health ; Households ; Income ; Economic aspects ; Policies / India / Delhi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049910)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0972063420935542
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049910.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049910.pdf
(0.60 MB) (612 KB)
This article discussed some of the important issues regarding the effect of epidemics like COVID-19 on the migrant population. These impacts are most troubling for low-income households, which are less well positioned to cope with earnings losses during a recession, have no alternative earnings and have no social security available. Most of these workers earn little more than a subsistence wage and have no other means to protect their incomes if they lose their jobs. Migrant workers constitute quite a large proportion of such vulnerable population.
Millions of migrant workers are anticipated to be left unemployed in India due to the lockdown and subsequent fear of recession. Many of the migrant workers have returned to their villages, and many more are just waiting for the lockdown to be lifted. The risk is particularly higher for those who are working in unorganised sectors, and those who do not have writer contracts, or those whose contracts are at the verge of completion. The lockdown and the subsequent recession are likely to first hit contract workers across many of the industries.
On the one hand, lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up jobs and incomes, whereas they are likely to disrupt agricultural production, transportation systems, and supply chains on the other. This poses a challenge of ensuring food security and controlling already rampant malnutrition, particularly among children, which is likely to result in increased infant and child mortality. There is a need to relook at the national migration policies, which should accommodate the assistance and protection of migrants arriving from, or faced with the prospect of returning to, areas affected by health crises. Also, there is a need to establish resilient food systems that could reduce food insecurity and the pressure to return to origin among migrants.
Millions of migrant workers are anticipated to be left unemployed in India due to the lockdown and subsequent fear of recession. Many of the migrant workers have returned to their villages, and many more are just waiting for the lockdown to be lifted. The risk is particularly higher for those who are working in unorganised sectors, and those who do not have writer contracts, or those whose contracts are at the verge of completion. The lockdown and the subsequent recession are likely to first hit contract workers across many of the industries.
On the one hand, lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up jobs and incomes, whereas they are likely to disrupt agricultural production, transportation systems, and supply chains on the other. This poses a challenge of ensuring food security and controlling already rampant malnutrition, particularly among children, which is likely to result in increased infant and child mortality. There is a need to relook at the national migration policies, which should accommodate the assistance and protection of migrants arriving from, or faced with the prospect of returning to, areas affected by health crises. Also, there is a need to establish resilient food systems that could reduce food insecurity and the pressure to return to origin among migrants.
16 Laborde, D.; Martin, W.; Swinnen, J.; Vos, R. 2020. COVID-19 risks to global food security. Science, 369(6503):500-502. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4765]
Food security ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Health hazards ; Food supply chains ; Supply chain disruptions ; Food access ; Trade barriers ; Economic losses ; Income ; Diet ; Nutrition ; Policy making ; Agricultural production
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049911)
(0.73 MB)
17 Daughton, C. G. 2020. Wastewater surveillance for population-wide Covid-19: the present and future. Science of the Total Environment, 736:139631. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139631]
Wastewater ; Health hazards ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ; Epidemiology ; Surveillance ; Public health ; Sewage ; Communities ; Monitoring
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049912)
(0.48 MB)
The Covid-19 pandemic (Coronavirus disease 2019) continues to expose countless unanticipated problems at all levels of the world's complex, interconnected society — global domino effects involving public health and safety, accessible health care, food security, stability of economies and financial institutions, and even the viability of democracies. These problems pose immense challenges that can voraciously consume human and capital resources. Tracking the initiation, spread, and changing trends of Covid-19 at population-wide scales is one of the most daunting challenges, especially the urgent need to map the distribution and magnitude of Covid-19 in near real-time. Other than pre-exposure prophylaxis or therapeutic treatments, the most important tool is the ability to quickly identify infected individuals. The mainstay approach for epidemics has long involved the large-scale application of diagnostic testing at the individual case level. However, this approach faces overwhelming challenges in providing fast surveys of large populations.
An epidemiological tool developed and refined by environmental scientists over the last 20 years (Wastewater-Based Epidemiology — WBE) holds the potential as a key tool in containing and mitigating Covid-19 outbreaks while also minimizing domino effects such as unnecessarily long stay-at-home policies that stress humans and economies alike. WBE measures chemical signatures in sewage, such as fragment biomarkers from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), simply by applying the type of clinical diagnostic testing (designed for individuals) to the collective signature of entire communities. As such, it could rapidly establish the presence of Covid-19 infections across an entire community. Surprisingly, this tool has not been widely embraced by epidemiologists or public health officials. Presented is an overview of why and how governments should exercise prudence and begin evaluating WBE and coordinating development of a standardized WBE methodology — one that could be deployed within nationalized monitoring networks to provide intercomparable data across nations.
An epidemiological tool developed and refined by environmental scientists over the last 20 years (Wastewater-Based Epidemiology — WBE) holds the potential as a key tool in containing and mitigating Covid-19 outbreaks while also minimizing domino effects such as unnecessarily long stay-at-home policies that stress humans and economies alike. WBE measures chemical signatures in sewage, such as fragment biomarkers from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), simply by applying the type of clinical diagnostic testing (designed for individuals) to the collective signature of entire communities. As such, it could rapidly establish the presence of Covid-19 infections across an entire community. Surprisingly, this tool has not been widely embraced by epidemiologists or public health officials. Presented is an overview of why and how governments should exercise prudence and begin evaluating WBE and coordinating development of a standardized WBE methodology — one that could be deployed within nationalized monitoring networks to provide intercomparable data across nations.
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