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COVID-19 (2022 Deadline)
Designing and evaluating a wastewater pathogen monitoring tool for sewered and non-sewered sanitation systems to prevent disease outbreaks in Dakar, Senegal
PI: Nouhou Diaby (nouhou.diaby@ucad.edu.sn), Université Cheikh Anta Diop
U.S. Partner: William Tarpeh, Stanford University
Project Dates: November 2022 - March 2024
Project Overview:
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a rapid, cost-effective tool for tracking, mitigating, and preventing viral disease outbreaks. However, most WBE studies focus on high-income, sewered locations, and WBE currently does not serve low-income countries that often rely at least partially on non-sewered sanitation. This project team aims to expand WBE access and application by creating and piloting a novel WBE tool in Dakar, Senegal. Their objectives are to (1) create a comprehensive map of sanitation systems and sewage flows in Dakar; (2) evaluate pathogen prevalence in wastewater throughout treatment and wastewater-impacted environments; and (3) build local capacity and networks to sustain and expand WBE across Senegal. Specific tasks for mapping sanitation systems (Aim 1) include (1) updating maps of sewer systems, open drains, and discharge points, (2) gathering geospatial data on fecal sludge collection, and (3) quantifying flows throughout the systems. To study pathogen prevalence and removal (Aim 2), they will (1) quantify pathogen loads to treatment plants and the environment, (2) evaluate pathogen removal during treatment, and (3) monitor pathogens in receiving waters near discharge points. Creating local capacity for WBE implementation (Aim 3) will involve (1) building a network among universities, sanitation providers, and government agencies, (2) training students and staff in WBE methodology, and (3) developing recommendations for WBE scale-up. To achieve these aims, Stanford University’s Tarpeh Lab, led by the U.S. partner, will transfer knowledge and skills for mapping and geospatial modeling, support method development for pathogen monitoring, and co-host workshops and stakeholder meetings to train Senegalese students and professionals while leveraging local expertise to co-create and pilot a WBE tool in Dakar.
This project will demonstrate a WBE tool in a low-income setting with both sewered and non-sewered sanitation. The work of the researchers involved will generate updated sanitation maps that support sanitation evaluation and expansion and underpin WBE implementation. Community-level data on pathogen circulation and environmental contamination with pathogens will inform public health measures and risks. The project will build a system to implement pathogen monitoring techniques and translate monitoring into public health interventions. These outcomes will ultimately improve wellbeing in Senegal by facilitating efficient allocation of resources to disease monitoring, treatment, and prevention. The proposed project will allow Senegal to improve epidemiological surveillance and preparedness to face future outbreaks. The proposed activities will generate community-level health data and a WBE tool that can contribute to reducing disease transmission and improving healthcare, incentivize sanitation expansion, and evaluate sanitation benefits. The project also emphasizes local capacity building through workshops for technical training and stakeholder meetings for establishing a WBE network and identifying strategies for WBE scale-up. Senegalese students completing their thesis or internships related to this project and staff at multiple institutions (i.e., Delvic Sanitation Initiatives (Delvic, a private sanitation provider), Senegal’s National Sanitation Agency (ONAS), and Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Social Action (MSAS)) will receive complete training in WBE methodology and apply their new knowledge and skills to supporting this project and proposing future studies that expand WBE implementation in Senegal. In addition to increasing human capital, this project will fund the purchase of equipment necessary to perform the entire molecular analysis workflow for WBE, which enables autonomous investigation after the duration of the grant.
Summary of Recent Project Activities:
With all the necessary equipment and supplies received, Dr. Diaby and his team began their efforts to monitor pathogens in the environment in the second quarter of 2023. They made a working visit to the national sanitation office (public sector) and to Delvic Sanitation Initiatives (private sector) to discuss the project implementation and field sampling. The team collectd samples at the main wastewater treatment plant in Dakar (Cambérène), the fecal sludge treatment station (Tivaouane Peul), and the public swimming beach at Cambérène, where treated and non-treated sewage are discharged. They also began initial laboratory work with nucleic acid extraction and sample analysis to identify pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and parasites in wastewater and the waters off the public beach. In the course of the work, Dr. Diaby and other senior researchers provided training to students and laboratory staff on field sampling techniques, epidemiology based on wastewater monitoring, and the use of the newly acquired qPCR machine and its software. As the data are only preliminary and further sampling campaigns are planned, the PI and his group have not yet shared the information with other stakeholders outside the team. However, they have had contact with the Ministry of Health and the national One Heath committee, both of which have expressed interest in their work.
During the remainder of 2023, the team will continue their sampling campaigns and provide additional training and capacity building for students and laboratory staff. They also look forward to hosting U.S. partner Dr. William Tarpeh. A no-cost extension has been approved to bring the new end date of the project to March 31, 2024, and later in the timeline, the PI will also be organizing dissemination meetings to share the project findings with key stakeholders.
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