Environmental surveillance of infectious diseases for informed risk assessment and public health measures
Environmental surveillance of infectious diseases for informed risk assessment and public health measures
Since the beginning of the pandemic of COVID-19 across the globe, a full knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens has been lacking and public health policies and prevention approaches have evolved along the way. It is critical to understand the environmental survival and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and other pathogens. In this talk, we will describe a comprehensive environmental surveillance program of SARS-CoV-2 on a public university campus and develop effective disinfection approaches. We have conducted longitudinal air, surface and wastewater sampling in a wide range of settings on and off-campus to quantify SARS-CoV-2 contamination levels using molecular methods. Air and surface samples were used to evaluate exposure risks and the probability of infection in these settings using quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). Furthermore, wastewater data was used to evaluate the robustness of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for early detection and evaluation of spread of infection in the university community. In addition, we show that effect of several factors on the growth of opportunistic pathogens in a public building and demonstrate the effectiveness of an antibiofilm product for long lasting disinfection of environmental surfaces.
Dr. Chuanwu Xi is currently a chair professor at Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo. He was professors of Environmental Health Sciences & Global Public Health and director of Global Environmental Health in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences since 2005. He received his PhD from Catholic University of Leuven Belgium in 2010. Prof. Xi's research focuses on biofilms, water quality and treatment, and human health. Dr. Xi was a Scholar-in-Residence at US FDA, a chair and council of Division Q of American Society for Microbiology, a former president of Sino-Micro, and a co-director of U-M-BICI Partnership Program. Dr. Xi currently also serves as Chair of Public Health Council of NSF International and an associate editor for mLife