Hamilton’s new Public Health Committee is poised to pass its first motion next week: to study implementing wastewater surveillance to track the presence and levels of various communicable illnesses in Hamilton’s wastewater.
Wastewater surveillance was prevalent during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic because it provided advance detection of the extent of the respiratory illness’s spread in the community before cases arrived in medical facilities.
It was used to monitor individual retirement and long-term care facilities, enabling the rapid enhancement of infection preventive measures when the virus was detected.
In early 2024, the Province of Ontario ended its funding and operation of province-wide wastewater surveillance.
In June 2024, Peterborough’s public health unit decided to continue wastewater surveillance. They projected an annual cost of up to $62,500. [June 2024 Peterborough Public Health Agenda]
Hamilton Motion to Study
Hamilton public health committee member Dr. Robin Lennox’s motion directs staff to “report back to the Public Health Sub-Committee with a report outlining the feasibility of implementing a local wastewater surveillance program, including respiratory viruses (influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV), mpox and H5N1.”
The motion does not include a timeline for the report.
Hamilton’s Public Health Committee, which is Hamilton’s de facto Board of Health, meets on Monday, January 13. The meeting agenda is available on the City website.
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Published: January 8, 2025
Last updated: January 8, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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