In cooperation with the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), HERA has launched GLOWACON, the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health, with the ultimate objective to create an international sentinel system for the early detection, prevention, and real-time monitoring of epidemic threats and outbreaks.
The inaugural event, spanning two days from March 19th to 20th in Brussels, saw the active involvement of over 300 key collaborators such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States CDC, amongst others.
Structured in a hybrid format integrating both in-person and virtual attendance, the event welcomed diverse representatives from national health and environmental ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), industry stakeholders, research institutions, and public health bodies. Highlights of the agenda included discussions on the foundational aspects of the Consortium as well as technical features such as sampling procedures, genetic testing, data management and integration, capacity building, and research and innovation. Keynote addresses and networking opportunities further contributed to cultivating partnerships, vital for the Consortium's success.
With GLOWACON, HERA, together with the JRC, is setting up an inter-sectorial network of global partners that will foster collaboration and innovation, while advocating for the integration of wastewater and environmental surveillance as a routine practice within public health systems and institutions. This has the potential to significantly enhance the monitoring of emerging health threats worldwide and therefore improving pandemic preparedness. For instance, GLOWACON aims at combining information from community-based surveillance with wastewater surveillance at strategic locations such as transportation hubs, including airports and aircraft, to set up early warning systems for cross-border health threats. GLOWACON will also serve as a mechanism to identify and align funding opportunities.
On this occasion, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said: “Establishing robust water surveillance capabilities on global, regional and local scales is essential for effectively monitoring public health diseases, enhancing epidemic intelligence and conducting pathogen surveillance. Wastewater and environmental surveillance were one of the key tools used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to detect outbreaks and track variants, allowing us act faster. This new consortium, led by the Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, a key pillar of the European Health Union, will play a pivotal role in supporting decision making and strengthening pandemic preparedness.”
The reinforcement of wastewater and environmental surveillance emerged as a pivotal action area in 2021, when HERA was established, focusing on threat assessment and intelligence gathering during the preparedness phase. Enhanced surveillance is also integral to the revised urban wastewater treatment Directive, mandating regular monitoring of key health-related parameters in urban wastewaters, such as antimicrobial resistance or CoV-SARS-19 during pandemics.
More information
- Daily news: HERA and partners launch Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health
- EU Wastewater Observatory for Public Health
- News announcement: The European Commission lays the foundations for a global system for wastewater surveillance for public health
- HERA – Emergency Preparedness
Details
- Publication date
- 21 March 2024
- Author
- Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority