Toronto Public Health is in the process of creating a wastewater monitoring initiative to identify potential disease transmission risks during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s newly appointed Medical Officer of Health, announced that the trial program will gather sewage samples from areas frequented by fans and analyze them for various infections like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
In addition to these illnesses, Murti mentioned that the public health department is exploring the feasibility of monitoring other diseases such as measles through wastewater analysis, considering the anticipated influx of international visitors next summer. She emphasized that this surveillance program will provide additional insights to ensure the safety and well-being of attendees during the games.
With an estimated 300,000 out-of-town visitors expected in Toronto for six World Cup matches starting in June, the city is preparing for the event. The COVID-19 wastewater monitoring initiative previously implemented in Ontario to track virus prevalence in real-time concluded last year.
Dr. Fahad Razak, an internal medicine specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital, highlighted the significance of extending such monitoring programs beyond COVID-19, especially for large-scale events like the World Cup. He suggested that the technology’s potential for disease detection should be further explored to address public health needs effectively.
Moreover, Razak referenced how Windsor-Essex County successfully utilized wastewater surveillance to detect a surge in measles cases earlier this year, emphasizing the importance of early detection for highly transmissible diseases like measles. He also mentioned the potential of using wastewater surveillance for opioid monitoring to identify contaminated drug supplies during the World Cup.
Dr. Lawrence Goodridge, co-lead of the Guelph Wastewater Epidemiology Lab for Public Health, noted the necessity for smaller-scale monitoring programs due to the discontinuation of the province’s comprehensive wastewater surveillance initiative, which covered 75% of the population. While the pilot program will be beneficial in case of a significant outbreak during the games, its reach is limited as attendees will be moving around Toronto and the province.
Toronto’s health authorities view this pilot program as an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of wastewater surveillance for future large events in the city. The initiative aims to enhance public health preparedness and response strategies for similar gatherings moving forward.
