ICMR to Expand Wastewater Surveillance for Early Outbreak Alerts

Imagine scientists are like detectives looking for clues about germs in our cities.

The ICMR is like the head detective, and they're checking the water that goes down the drain, called wastewater.

Right now, they're doing this in five cities to learn how it works.

Over the next year, they plan to check the wastewater in 50 cities to find out if any nasty germs are spreading.

This helps them spot problems early, like COVID-19 or polio.

They're also watching for things like the flu in birds and antibiotic-resistant germs.

This way, they can warn everyone if a sickness starts to spread.