The European Commission has just launched a new tool that supports the tracking of the spread of infectious diseases by analysing wastewater: the European Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard. It displays data from across the EU by bringing together existing national and research-based dashboards.

By providing near real-time information on pathogen trends, the dashboard can support public health authorities in their efforts to track, predict, and respond promptly to disease outbreaks.

The dashboard was developed by the EU Wastewater Observatory for Public Health of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with the European Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). This tool is designed to support the integration of wastewater testing into EU public health surveillance activities.

Recognising the interlinkages between human and environmental health, in line with the One Health approach, a number of EU initiatives are being put in place to ensure surveillance of health parameters in water to reduce health risks and prevent outbreaks. The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, that entered into force this month, requires Member States to establish national systems for urban wastewater surveillance for monitoring public health parameters with the objective to support quick decision-making in case of a public health emergency. 

The upcoming Water Resilience Strategy will further strengthen the One Health approach through measures to enhance knowledge and reduce water pollution.

Continure reading and access the dashboard from the below link.

Information and image source: