Toronto Public Health is in the process of establishing a wastewater monitoring initiative to identify any potential disease transmission during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s new Medical Officer of Health, announced that the pilot program will gather sewage samples from areas where fans gather and analyze them for infections like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Dr. Murti mentioned that the public health unit is also exploring the possibility of monitoring other diseases, such as measles, in wastewater due to the anticipated significant international attendance at the event next summer. She emphasized that this additional data will complement existing information to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals during the games.
With an estimated 300,000 out-of-town visitors expected to attend six World Cup matches starting in June, the city is gearing up for an influx of people. The initiative follows the conclusion of Ontario’s COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program, which provided valuable insights during the pandemic.
Dr. Fahad Razak, an internal medicine specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital, praised the innovative use of wastewater surveillance for a large-scale event like the World Cup, filling the void left by the previous provincial program. He suggested that the technology’s disease detection capabilities should have been further explored beyond COVID-19.
For instance, Windsor-Essex County successfully utilized wastewater surveillance earlier this year to detect a spike in measles cases in the region. Dr. Razak highlighted the importance of leveraging this technology for early detection and prevention of diseases like measles and potentially opioid surveillance during the World Cup.
Dr. Lawrence Goodridge, co-lead of the Guelph Wastewater Epidemiology Lab for Public Health, expressed concerns over the discontinuation of the provincial wastewater program, which monitored a significant portion of the population. While acknowledging the benefits of the pilot program for potential outbreak scenarios during the games, he noted its limitations in terms of reach due to the transient nature of attendees traveling across the province.
Dr. Murti emphasized that the pilot initiative will serve as a valuable learning experience to assess the effectiveness of wastewater surveillance for future large-scale events in Toronto.
