Charles Haas, PhD
A number of cities across the country have been using regular testing of
sewage to spot genetic signs of COVID-19 and other diseases. The process,
called wastewater surveillance, gives municipalities an edge in responding
to upticks before they become widespread public health emergencies. A
report recently issued by the
National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine
outlines how this system
could be deployed at the federal level
to form a nationwide early warning system for diseases.
LD Betz Professor of Environmental Engineering
Charles Haas, PhD,
a member of the
National Academy of Engineering
and noted expert on the movement of pathogens in the built environment, who
co-authored the report, has been
studying wastewater surveillance
for some time and suggests that it could be a useful strategy for disease
mitigation beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Haas recently shared his insights
on the challenges, possibilities and promise of wastewater surveillance
with the Drexel News Blog.
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