Community Wastewater-Based Surveillance Can Be a Cost-Effective Approach to Track COVID-19 Outbreak in Low-Resource Settings: Feasibility Assessment for Ethiopia Context

Solomon Ali, Esayas Kebede Gudina, Addisu Gize, Abde Aliy, Birhanemeskel Tegene Adankie, Wondwossen Tsegaye, Gadissa Bedada Hundie, Mahteme Bekele Muleta, Tesfaye Rufael Chibssa, Rediet Belaineh, Demessa Negessu, Dereje Shegu, Guenter Froeschl and Andreas Wieser
Additional contact information
Solomon Ali: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Esayas Kebede Gudina: Department of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia
Addisu Gize: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Abde Aliy: National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
Birhanemeskel Tegene Adankie: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Wondwossen Tsegaye: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Gadissa Bedada Hundie: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Mahteme Bekele Muleta: Department of Surgery, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium, Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia
Tesfaye Rufael Chibssa: National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
Rediet Belaineh: National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
Demessa Negessu: National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
Dereje Shegu: National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta P.O. Box 04, Ethiopia
Guenter Froeschl: Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80802 Munich, Germany
Andreas Wieser: Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80802 Munich, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: Wastewater surveillance systems have become an important component of COVID-19 outbreak monitoring in high-income settings. However, its use in most low-income settings has not been well-studied. This study assessed the feasibility and utility of wastewater surveillance system to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study was conducted at nine Membrane Bio-reactor (MBR) wastewater processing plants. The samples were collected in two separate time series. Wastewater samples and known leftover RT-PCR tested nasopharyngeal swabs were processed using two extraction protocols with different sample conditions. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater RT-PCR testing was conducted using RIDA GENE SARS-CoV-2 RUO protocol for wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA RT-PCR protocol adaptation, optimization, and detection were conducted in an Addis Ababa, Ethiopia context. Samples collected during the first time series, when the national COVID-19 case load was low, were all negative. Conversely, samples collected during the second time series were all positive, coinciding with the highest daily reported new cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 surveillance approach is feasible for Addis Ababa. The COVID-19 wastewater based epidemiological approach can potentially fill the evidence gap in distribution and dynamics of COVID-19 in Ethiopia and other low-income settings.

Keywords: wastewater; wastewater-based epidemiology; MBR; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; RT-PCR; SPHMMC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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