Did you know that household wastewater holds valuable clues? Researchers at the Center for Child Health Studies (PKKA-PRO), Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, UGM, have uncovered this hidden potential.
In the hands of UGM researchers, wastewater has become a powerful tool for COVID-19 detection. The virus can be identified by analyzing household wastewater containing feces and urine from individuals infected with COVID-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic.
“This is because the feces and urine of these individuals contain parts/fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that are no longer infectious,” explained pediatrician Dr. Indah Kartika Murni, MD, the Head of the PKKA-PRO team, on Tuesday (Jan. 30).
Dr. Murni states wastewater surveillance systems have been successfully implemented in several developed countries for COVID-19 detection.
Countries like America and the Netherlands have incorporated this method to supplement routine individual surveillance. In Indonesia, wastewater surveillance has previously been used for Polio outbreaks.
The PKKA-PRO team, under the leadership of Dr. Indah Kartika Murni, MD, and Dr. Vicka Oktaria, MD, collaborated with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Australia, for research conducted in 2021-2022.
Their findings revealed that wastewater surveillance detection could identify an increase in COVID-19 cases up to two weeks earlier than traditional community-based detection methods.
Building on this, further research aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing wastewater surveillance for early detection of COVID-19 outbreaks.
This study, conducted with Dr. Tiara Marthias, MD, Muhammad Fikru Rizal, MD, and Giovanni Fadhillah van Empel, MD, assessed the costs involved in implementing wastewater surveillance compared to traditional surveillance methods.
Dr. Murni emphasized that this research explored the potential of wastewater surveillance as an early warning system and evaluated its cost-effectiveness for routine surveillance programs.
On Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, the PKKA-PRO team presented the results of the study online to key stakeholders, including the Health Development Policy Agency (BKPK), the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the National Innovation Research Agency (BRIN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The findings demonstrated that wastewater surveillance systems could offer an economical option to support early warning systems during pandemics, particularly in lower-middle-income countries.
Team member Tiara, MD, stressed the crucial role of strong and timely policy support and effective public health responses in the success of any surveillance system.
“No surveillance system can be effective without a robust public health response,” she emphasized.
To kickstart the implementation of wastewater surveillance for COVID-19, the research team proposed the formation of a dedicated national network. This network would bring together various stakeholders to collaborate on developing wastewater surveillance systems in Indonesia.
“In the future, we envision a national network for wastewater surveillance involving stakeholders committed to advancing this innovative approach,” said Vicka, MD.
Author & Photo: PKKA-PRO Team
Editor: Ika