[Research progress on the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and early warning system from a community health perspective]

Abstract

The continuously spreading of SARS-CoV-2 poses a threat not only to public health but also to all aspects of socio-economics. Current public health measures are costly and have potential health risks, thus, it is imminent that developing efficient and economical early warning surreillance tools from a public health perspective. In this review, we summarized the current COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance measures and the efficiency, economic, and cutting edge of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). The WBE-based surveillance is organized and reviewed from three aspects: early warning system for the timing of epidemic, routine epidemic surveillance, and parameters determination of predicting epidemiological models of COVID-19. It reveals the application value of WBE as an early warning and surveillance system of public health, and then, discussing its current weakness and strength, adding literature for a WBE-based surveillance system for COVID-19 epidemic in China.