Public health experts will monitor wastewater to track infectious diseases during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A team of researchers from the French National Public Health Agency, the Quebec National Institute of Public Health, Eau de Paris, and the ANSES Nancy Laboratory for Hydrology recently published an article in Eurosurveillance, which describes itself as "Europe's journal on infectious disease surveillance, epidemiology, prevention, and control." The article, entitled "Pathogen prioritization for wastewater surveillance ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, France," describes how wastewater surveillance has become an important tool for public health and how the team decided on the six priority pathogen targets that will be used for wastewater surveillance during the Paris 2024 Olympic (beginning July 26) and Paralympic games (beginning August 28), which will be attended by 16 million visitors from across the globe.
The team gathered data from peer-reviewed publications and opinions from public health experts to determine that wastewater surveillance for the games should focus on: poliovirus, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, mpox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and measles virus.
CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, describes the process the researchers used to narrow the pathogens down to six:
To identify target pathogens, the researchers used criteria informed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the World Health Organization, arriving at 60 pathogens.
They then linked those pathogens to those the Games by France's national public health agency included on a risk map for the event, including notifiable diseases, those associated with foodborne illnesses, acute respiratory infections, emerging infectious diseases, and zoonotic diseases, plus six other infectious diseases considered for WWS.
Next, they narrowed the list based on pathogen analytical feasibility, relevance to the event and pathogen characteristics, and value in guiding public-health decision making (eg, allocation of hospital beds, physical distancing) . . .
Pathogens that failed to reach the 70% consensus threshold in questionnaires completed by 32 experts were reevaluated by France public health epidemiologists in charge of the country's national wastewater monitoring system using specific criteria, leaving a list of 25 pathogens of interest. The team eventually arrived at six target pathogens: the viruses that cause polio, influenza A, influenza B, mpox, COVID-19, and measles. . .
CIDRAP also explains that the framework is simply a starting point and will require more work before it can be successfully implemented using France's 54 existing wastewater treatment plants:
"At the time of writing, a wastewater sampling strategy proposal based on the conclusion of this study was under review by the French health authorities," the researchers wrote. "Upon approval, the next steps will include the selection of operators in charge of sampling and partner laboratories that will perform analyses."
Laboratory methods will need to be developed for the detection and quantification of certain pathogens, methods will also need refinement in terms of time efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and the sampling strategy may need adjustment. "A WWS plan for Paris 2024 OPG would serve as an exploratory tool, providing proof of concept for monitoring measles virus, influenza A virus and influenza B virus in Parisian wastewaters," the authors said.
Read the full journal article here and the CIDRAP overview here. And if you're heading to the Olympics, stay safe from all of those viruses that will likely be circulating! (Mask up, they work!)
Previously:
• Paris Olympic Village gains facepalm status
• Breakdancing will be an official sport at the Paris 2024 Olympics
• Electric flying taxis in works for 2024 Paris Olympics
