Overview

• ICMR plans to test wastewater for over ten pathogens in 50 cities across India within the next six months to detect rising infection trends early.
• The expanded pathogen list spans enteric bacteria and parasites like salmonella and Giardia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, animal viruses such as avian influenza and Newcastle disease, plus all coronaviruses.
• The programme integrates human, animal and environmental sampling with targeted collections at three slaughterhouses, 11 bird sanctuaries and 60 hospitals for antimicrobial-resistance surveillance.
• PCR and next-generation sequencing will be used to analyze samples, providing public health officials roughly 10–14 days of advance warning for outbreak response.
• ICMR is working with the National Centre for Disease Control, APSI, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and hospital networks to build laboratory capacity and coordinate nationwide implementation.