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Wastewater Offers an Early Alarm System for Another Deadly Virus

Wired
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The concept of tracking a virus through wastewater came to prominence in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 .

Regular RSV testing in wastewater now takes place in the US , Canada , Finland , and Switzerland .

A study of the Ontario experiment in RSV wastewater tracking found it gives more than a month’s notice in identifying when RSV season begins.

Last year’s RSV season proved particularly vexing to the US health system, as shortages of nirsevimab, an antibody injection given to infants, were reported across the country.

“If you can get the information to hospitals or clinics weeks earlier , that gives the opportunity to start thinking about what treatments they might need,” says Donnelly.