Wastewater tests can find mpox, study finds. Expect more bugs to be tracked that way
New research bolsters a push to use sewage to track more diseases in the U.S. Wastewater testing does a good job at detecting mpox infections
By MIKE STOBBE
Published - Jan 18, 2024, 01:20 PM ET
Last Updated - Jan 18, 2024, 01:20 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — Wastewater testing does a good job at detecting mpox infections, U.S. health officials said in a report Thursday that bolsters a push to use sewage to track more diseases.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found that over the course of a week, there was a 32% likelihood the tests would detect the presence of at least one person infected with mpox in a population ranging from thousands to millions.
Amy Kirby, who oversees the CDC’s wastewater surveillance work, said initially they didn't know if the tests would work for a rare infection like mpox.
"It turns out it worked really very well," she said.
