Hyderabad: City-based researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) along with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology who invented the unique wastewater surveillance system to track SARs CoV-2, is now attempting to track other infectious diseases including Monkeypox and dengue.
Carrying out the wastewater surveillance model to the next level the researchers have already started to experiment in Bengaluru and will soon start in Hyderabad. The institution also tracks other infectious diseases like monkeypox, dengue, and Acute Microbial Resistance (AMR) in small and medium-sized urban centres in India.
During the Covid second wave, Karnataka introduced a sewage surveillance system across 45 wards of the 198 wards on a pilot basis to track the deadly mutant virus at an early stage, even among asymptomatic individuals.
According to AcSIR Distinguished Emeritus Professor, CCMB and Director, Tata Institute of Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bengaluru, Dr Rakesh Kumar Mishra, “In Bengaluru, we have already started wastewater surveillance to track infectious diseases like monkeypox, dengue and AMR. The plan is to follow other infectious diseases after SARS-CoV-2. For the next two years, we are going to standardise or optimise the wastewater surveillance model specific to each city including Hyderabad,” reported Telangana Today.
“The sewage surveillance to track infectious diseases will be implemented at least in 7 to 8 big, small and medium-sized Indian metros including Hyderabad. The idea is to give a direction to the local public health system in case of an outbreak,” Dr Mishra added.
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