Oakland County Health Division, Pontiac, Michigan.
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2023;29(3):322-325. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001714. Epub 2023 Jan 24.
Wastewater-based epidemiology has increasingly demonstrated its importance in addressing public health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth funding for public health agencies to conduct wastewater-based epidemiology. Using a team with diverse skills, a local health department utilized this funding to regularly monitor SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater on university campuses, a K-12 campus, an inpatient psychiatric facility, and a long-term care facility. Between September 2021 and May 2022, more than 760 wastewater samples were collected of which 102 (13.4%) were above a predetermined threshold. When sites exceeded that threshold, local health department staff provided testing resources. Wastewater-based epidemiology is a useful surveillance program that can be effectively conducted by local health departments when provided with funding and a skilled workforce.
基于污水的流行病学在应对公共卫生威胁方面的重要性日益凸显。新冠疫情为公共卫生机构提供了资金，以开展基于污水的流行病学研究。当地卫生部门利用一支拥有多种技能的团队，利用这笔资金定期监测大学校园、K-12 校园、住院精神病院和长期护理机构的污水中的 SARS-CoV-2。在 2021 年 9 月至 2022 年 5 月期间，共收集了超过 760 份污水样本，其中 102 份（13.4%）超过了预定阈值。当检测点超过该阈值时，当地卫生部门工作人员会提供检测资源。基于污水的流行病学是一种有用的监测计划，当地卫生部门在获得资金和熟练劳动力的情况下可以有效地开展。
