Payam Javan: California’s health and water officials cooperate with wastewater utilities, regional and municipal health departments, academic institutions, and laboratories as part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System to improve the ability to monitor the presence of COVID.

Three times per week, and more if necessary, are sampled by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District. MUD samples from the East Bay reveal a vital story. currently, we’re seeing a drop-off of COVID and we’re seeing an upswing of monkeypox.

That information is much more significant now that there are far less COVID tests being performed. So, according to Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease specialist at UC Berkeley, the wastewater is really giving us a lot of solid data about what’s happening with this pandemic.

Even if the victims are not yet exhibiting symptoms, wastewater monitoring analysis can give an early warning of the spread of viruses, bacteria, and other organisms, such as COVID, monkeypox, polio, influenza, and Ebola.

According to researchers, keeping an eye on sewer systems is particularly important for getting an early warning of diseases that could be utilized as biological weapons by terrorists.