January 22, 2023 | 6:59 pmRESEARCHERS FROM the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute called on government to adopt a wastewater-based monitoring of coronavirus disease 2019 nationwide, saying this method allows for more localized surveillance and targeted mitigation measures.Detecting RNA in wastewater could help local government units forecast what barangays are at risk and may need closer monitoring, rather than a blanket lockdown,said Caroline Marie B.
The team, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology, have expanded their work into other areas through the Integrated Wastewater-Based Epidemiology and Data Analytics for Community-Level Pathogen Surveillance and Genetic Tracking Project. Shyrill Mae F. Mariano, research assistant at UP-MSI, also highlighted that their work point to the critical need to improve wastewater management in Davao City, citing the presence of bacteriological and pharmaceutical indicators of untreated wastewater within the Davao River basin.