25th August 2025 (18 Topics)
1
Aug
2
Aug
4
Aug
5
Aug
6
Aug
7
Aug
8
Aug
9
Aug
11
Aug
12
Aug
13
Aug
14
Aug
15
Aug
16
Aug
18
Aug
19
Aug
20
Aug
21
Aug
22
Aug
23
Aug
25
Aug
26
Aug
ICMR Wastewater Surveillance Initiative
Context:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will expand wastewater surveillance to monitor 10 viruses across 50 Indian cities in the next six months, strengthening early detection of infectious diseases.
Concept of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE):
- WBE detects fragments of viruses or bacteria in wastewater shed by infected individuals, including asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic persons.
- Provides early warning signals of community-level outbreaks before clinical symptoms are widely reported.
Current Plan in India:
- ICMR already monitors COVID-19 and Polio virus in 5 cities.
- Surveillance will be scaled up to 50 cities for 10 viruses, including those linked with fever, diarrhoea, encephalitis, and respiratory distress.
- Environmental surveillance also includes Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) through monitoring of surface and wastewater in outbreak areas.
Existing Surveillance Systems in India:
- Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR track Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI).
- WBE will complement these by providing non-invasive, cost-effective, near-real-time data on infections.
Global Context and Importance:
- Post-COVID-19, wastewater surveillance is seen as a predictive tool for pandemic preparedness.
- The WHO and UNEP support wastewater surveillance for both public health security and ecosystem protection.
- Helps identify transmission hotspots, allocate resources, and monitor water quality to safeguard freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Advantages for India:
- Covers large populations at relatively low cost.
- Useful in densely populated and urban areas with rapid pathogen transmission.
- Supports One Health approach, linking human, animal, and environmental health.
More Articles
Courses
Study
Notes
Home
Resources
More
