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Volume 30, Number 10—October 2024
EIN Research Letter

Infectious Disease Physicians’ Knowledge and Practices Regarding Wastewater Surveillance, United States, 2024

Carly Adams, Libby HorterComments to Author , Susan E. Beekmann, Philip M. Polgreen, Jessica N. Ricaldi, Souci Louis, and Scott Santibañez
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (C. Adams, L. Horter, J.N. Ricaldi, S. Louis, S. Santibañez); Goldbelt Professional Services, Chesapeake, Virginia, USA (L. Horter); University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA (S.E. Beekmann, P.M. Polgreen)

Main Article

Table 2

Perspectives of 448 infectious disease specialists regarding wastewater surveillance, Emerging Infections Network survey responses, February–March 2024*

Survey responses
No. (%) respondents
Wastewater surveillance conducted in county or state of work
Yes 286 (64)
No 18 (4)
Unsure
144 (32)
Awareness and frequency of review of wastewater surveillance data, n = 446
Not aware of those data 97 (22)
Aware but do not review regularly 251 (56)
Aware and review regularly
98 (22)
Use CDC wastewater websites, n = 446
Yes 194 (43)
No
252 (57)
Type of CDC wastewater websites used, n = 44†
COVID WVAL map 150 (34)
COVID data tracker 142 (32)
COVID variants 74 (17)
Mpox
37 (8)
Use non-CDC wastewater websites, n = 440
Yes 125 (28)
No
315 (72)
Targets respondents chose as potentially useful for wastewater surveillance‡
Influenza A 302 (67)
Influenza B 254 (57)
Respiratory syncytial virus 247 (55)
Norovirus 245 (55)
Measles 245 (55)
Antimicrobial resistance 198 (44)
West Nile virus 172 (38)
Fungal 138 (31)
Bacterial 117 (26)
Adenovirus 110 (25)
Parasitic diseases 103 (23)
Dengue virus
100 (22)
Reported geographic reporting level as very useful‡§
City, n = 424 281 (66)
County, n = 431 277 (64)
State, n = 426 103 (24)
Nation, n = 418
64 (15)
Reported facility reporting level as very useful‡§
Hospital, n = 426 254 (60)
Long-term care facility, n = 423 230 (54)
K-12 school, n = 414 151 (37)
University, n = 408 121 (30)
Jail/detention center, n = 414 129 (31)
Homeless shelter, n = 410 138 (34)

*The Infections Disease Society of America Emerging Infections Network is a provider-based emerging infections sentinel network established in 1995 to assist the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health authorities with surveillance for emerging infectious diseases and related phenomena. The electronic survey was distributed via 3 email messages in February and March 2024 to all US EIN infectious disease physician members. n values indicate no. respondents when <448. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; K–12, kindergarten through 12th grade; WVAL, Wastewater viral activity levels. †CDC COVID WVAL Map (https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html); CDC COVID Data Tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#wastewater-surveillance); CDC COVID variants (https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-variants.html); CDC Mpox (https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/wastewater-surveillance/mpox-data.html); non-CDC wastewater websites (e.g., from state/local health departments or private/academic organizations). ‡At the time of the survey, the National Wastewater Surveillance System was reporting wastewater surveillance data publicly for SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox virus at the sampling site, state, and national levels. §Respondents were asked “In your practice, please indicate the usefulness of the following potential levels of reporting...” and to rate geographic location and facility reporting levels for wastewater surveillance data as slightly, somewhat, or very useful.

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Page created: August 28, 2024
Page updated: September 24, 2024
Page reviewed: September 24, 2024
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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