Publication date: Jul 22, 2025

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Wastewater surveillance has enabled more timely and proactive public health responses through monitoring disease emergence and spread at a population level in real time,” says Zhuang. “The ongoing wastewater surveillance effort is a great example of how collaboration between SNWA, UNLV, and other partners can lead to positive impacts for the local community and beyond. ” Though those methods worked well, they were a more reactive approach – typically identifying new virus strains after they had already begun widely circulating in a community. And the researchers say it is among the first studies to employ an AI approach in enhancing wastewater intelligence. “While the study details how the team’s AI method can separate overlapping signals in complex datasets, its real promise lies in on-the-ground impact. This research shows how we can make this possible,” said study co-author Edwin Oh, a professor with the Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine at UNLV.

Semantics

Original Article