Why in News: ICMR has announced wastewater surveillance for 10 viruses across 50 cities to strengthen early-warning systems for disease outbreaks.
Introduction
- Environmental surveillance: tracking pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites) through sewage, wastewater, soil, and other environmental samples.
- Provides early warning signals of disease outbreaks, complementing clinical surveillance.
How It Works
- Sources of samples: sewage treatment plants, hospital effluents, public spaces (railway stations, airplanes).
- Pathogens shed in stool/urine of infected individuals → detected in samples.
- Detection methods:
- Rigorous sampling protocols.
- Pathogen load comparisons.
- Whole-genome sequencing to identify variants.
- Diseases monitored: viruses (measles, cholera, polio, COVID-19), parasitic worms (roundworms, hookworms).
Significance
- Beyond clinical case detection: captures asymptomatic and untested cases.
- Early-warning advantage: pathogen load in wastewater can precede clinical spikes by over a week.
- Public health planning: allows timely interventions, vaccination drives, and outbreak preparedness.
- Longstanding use: >40 years globally; in India, first for polio in Mumbai (2001), later expanded during COVID-19.
India’s Initiatives
- ICMR initiative: wastewater surveillance for 10 viruses across 50 cities.
- Ongoing programs for COVID-19 and avian influenza.
Challenges: fragmented data sharing, lack of standardized frameworks, project-based rather than integrated approach.
Way Forward
- Develop a national wastewater surveillance system.
- Ensure inter-institutional coordination and standardized protocols.
- Integrate with routine disease surveillance programs.
- Explore emerging tools: AI-based analysis, audio surveillance of coughing in public spaces.
Conclusion
Environmental surveillance is a cost-effective, non-intrusive, and scalable tool. It is crucial for epidemic preparedness, pandemic response, and resilient public health systems in India.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper III (Science & Technology, Environment)
- Application of biotechnology and AI in disease surveillance.
Mains Practice Question
Q1. “Environmental surveillance can serve as a cost-effective early-warning system for epidemics in India.” Discuss with examples. (250 words)
