KSA 3: Water Use and Waste Management
Thrust 4: Saniti
Programme COVID-19
Title : Development of a framework for water quality-based COVID-19 Epidemiology Surveillance for Non-Sewered Communities
Contact Person: Dr Sudhir Pillay – sudhirp@wrc.org.za
Closing Date: 13 November 2020
The infectious Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The main transmission route of the virus appears to be through respiratory drops from infected individuals and direct contact with surfaces that have a viable virus. Scientific evidence from around the world has shown that both the viable virus and remnants (genetic material) can also be detected in the human faecal waste of some infected individuals. This knowledge has been applied to develop a complementary wastewater-based COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance tool.
