The pandemic has highlighted the urgency for a paradigm shift in our approach to controlling infectious diseases. As nations worldwide manage the challenges of containment, a solution has emerged by the fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with sewage tracing through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. This integration is altering the landscape of pandemic management by not only tracking and predicting outbreaks but also mitigating their far-reaching consequences. This article explores sewage tracing, the pivotal role of IoT sensors, and their collective influence in reshaping virus detection and the management of pandemics.
Sewage tracing: A game-changing approach
Sewage tracing, a concept that has gained significant attention amidst the pandemic, revolves around deriving insights about human behavior and public health by analysing the contents of wastewater. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), as it is scientifically known, plays a key role in monitoring and predicting pandemic outbreaks. This unconventional methodology is based on the fact that traces of viruses, like the Sars-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19, can be found in the feces and urine of infected individuals.