Monitoring a Community’s Wastewater for Polio and Other Diseases: Expert Available

With the recent outbreak of polio in Rockland County, New York, how important is monitoring a community’s wastewater to determine where a possible pandemic or healthcare issue may be occurring or originating? 

Stony Brook University Research Associate Professor & Associate Director of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology Arjun K. Venkatesan, PhD is available to speak with the media on this topic. Please find these important points provided by Professor Venkatesan:

• Wastewater surveillance can provide unbiased and timely (near-real time) population health data for a community;
• Wastewater surveillance data will provide evidence of local transmission and prevalence of infection in the community;
• Existing state and national wastewater surveillance programs provide the opportunity to assess the spread of poliovirus in a timely fashion.

Interviews with Professor Venkatesan can be conducted by phone, Zoom or via email. Please contact Joan Behan-Duncan (joan.behan-duncan@stonybrook.edu).