Wastewater-Based Epidemiology
Environmental monitoring of wastewater is an important tool in understanding the total impact of communicable diseases in our community. Mono County Public Health Department (MCPH) is very fortunate to have partnered with Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) to perform regular wastewater monitoring of the area served by MCWD. While wastewater monitoring for disease presence is not a new method (it has been used for nearly 70 years) it is newer to Mono County. Among many other things, wastewater monitoring is unbiased, non-invasive, inclusive, and inexpensive.
MCPH staff gather samples from the wastewater treatment facility at Mammoth Community Water District (after screening and grit removal but before primary clarification) and the samples are then analyzed in a lab to determine the concentration of virus present. While wastewater cannot detect the number of people who are currently infected with a specific virus, it is an indicator of changes in community-level infection. This means that wastewater testing can be used to detect general trends: whether the detectable amount of virus in the sampling zone is going up, going down, or staying level. In turn, this information can be used to make risk assessments and to guide both local providers and the general public.
CURRENT SAMPLING TARGETS:
- SARS-CoV-2
- RSV
- Mpox
- Influenza A
- Influenza subtype H3
- Influenza subtype H5
- Influenza B
VERILY WASTEWATER DASHBOARD - CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOST CURRENT RESULTS
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: MCPH's contract with WastewaterSCAN expired on 6/30/24. A new contract with the CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System was offered and the Mammoth Community Water District site was onboarded. There was a lapse in wastewater data/reporting while transitioning to the new program. Sampling resumed 10/2/24.
Historical Mono County Wastewater data can be found HERE
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mono County Public Health collaborated with UC Davis to create a dashboard to reflect current wastewater levels and trends. Please be advised that changes are still be made to improve this dashboard. Access HERE.
Additional Resources:
Influenza A Fact Sheet - WastewaterSCAN
Publication on Methods: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266652472200386X
