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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extended its partnership with Biobot Analytics through the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) to bring COVID-19 and mpox (formerly monkeypox) wastewater analysis to communities across the country. This six-month extension will go through the end of July 2023, and ensure data continuity for the NWSS program.
As part of NWSS, Biobot contributes data from more than 400 locations from over 250 counties across a total of 50 states and U.S. Territories, providing coverage for 60 million people. Biobot tests each location for MPXV (the virus that causes mpox), SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), and conducts genomic sequencing to identify COVID-19 variants. This program has been invaluable in demonstrating the impact of a national, coordinated wastewater monitoring program, and has helped federal, state, and local officials better track the prevalence and spread of COVID-19 and mpox to inform public health responses.
"As the availability of clinical data decreases, wastewater monitoring has become a more reliable indicator of COVID-19 prevalence and provides local officials with a better understanding of viral spread in their communities," said Newsha Ghaeli, Biobot President & Cofounder. Similarly, as mpox cases decline across the country, wastewater could be the way we detect a local resurgence. "We’re excited to continue our partnership with CDC and lay the groundwork for future program expansion into other infectious diseases and beyond."
For more information on the successful CDC and Biobot partnership through the NWSS program, visit our website.
Biobot Analytics is a global leader in wastewater epidemiology, founded with the goal of transforming wastewater infrastructure into real-time public health observatories. Having worked at more than 1,000 locations across all 50 US states and several countries, Biobot produces actionable information from wastewater to improve the health of communities around the world. Separately from their infectious disease work, Biobot also analyzes wastewater for the presence of High Risk Substances, such as opioids, to help communities better respond to substance use and implement harm reduction programming. More information on our mission and technology is available at our website, www.biobot.io.