Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity
In 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the role of community-level wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) beyond COVID-19. WBE is recognized as a promising mechanism for promptly identifying infecti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Epidemics |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436524000653 |
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| author | Maria L. Daza-Torres J. Cricelio Montesinos-López César Herrera Yury E. García Colleen C. Naughton Heather N. Bischel Miriam Nuño |
| author_facet | Maria L. Daza-Torres J. Cricelio Montesinos-López César Herrera Yury E. García Colleen C. Naughton Heather N. Bischel Miriam Nuño |
| author_sort | Maria L. Daza-Torres |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the role of community-level wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) beyond COVID-19. WBE is recognized as a promising mechanism for promptly identifying infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and other novel pathogens. An important conclusion from this initiative is the critical importance of maintaining equity and expanding access to fully realize the benefits of wastewater surveillance for marginalized communities. To address this need, we propose an optimization framework that strategically allocates wastewater monitoring resources at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) level, ensuring more effective and equitable distribution of surveillance efforts to serve underserved populations.The purpose of the framework is to obtain a balanced spatial distribution, inclusive population coverage, and efficient representation of disadvantaged groups in the allocation of resources for WBE. Furthermore, the framework concentrates on areas with high population density and gives priority to vulnerable regions, as well as identifying signals that display significant variations from other monitored sources. The optimization objective is to maximize a weighted combination of these critical factors. This problem is formulated as an integer optimization problem and solved using simulated annealing. We evaluate various scenarios, considering different weighting factors, to optimize the allocation of WWTPs with monitoring systems. This optimization framework provides an opportunity to enhance WBE by providing customized monitoring strategies created to address specific priorities and situations, thus enhancing the decision-making processes in public health responses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-09437ec69bcc4a1b8ef4cd69156b9ef2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1755-4365 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Epidemics |
| spelling | doaj-art-09437ec69bcc4a1b8ef4cd69156b9ef22025-08-20T01:56:45ZengElsevierEpidemics1755-43652024-12-014910080410.1016/j.epidem.2024.100804Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equityMaria L. Daza-Torres0J. Cricelio Montesinos-López1César Herrera2Yury E. García3Colleen C. Naughton4Heather N. Bischel5Miriam Nuño6Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, CA 95616, United StatesDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, CA 95616, United StatesDepartment of Mathematics, Purdue University, IN 47907, United StatesDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, CA 95616, United StatesDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USADepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, CA 95616, United States; Corresponding author.In 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the role of community-level wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) beyond COVID-19. WBE is recognized as a promising mechanism for promptly identifying infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and other novel pathogens. An important conclusion from this initiative is the critical importance of maintaining equity and expanding access to fully realize the benefits of wastewater surveillance for marginalized communities. To address this need, we propose an optimization framework that strategically allocates wastewater monitoring resources at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) level, ensuring more effective and equitable distribution of surveillance efforts to serve underserved populations.The purpose of the framework is to obtain a balanced spatial distribution, inclusive population coverage, and efficient representation of disadvantaged groups in the allocation of resources for WBE. Furthermore, the framework concentrates on areas with high population density and gives priority to vulnerable regions, as well as identifying signals that display significant variations from other monitored sources. The optimization objective is to maximize a weighted combination of these critical factors. This problem is formulated as an integer optimization problem and solved using simulated annealing. We evaluate various scenarios, considering different weighting factors, to optimize the allocation of WWTPs with monitoring systems. This optimization framework provides an opportunity to enhance WBE by providing customized monitoring strategies created to address specific priorities and situations, thus enhancing the decision-making processes in public health responses.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436524000653Wastewater-based epidemiologyCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2Infectious diseasePublic health |
| spellingShingle | Maria L. Daza-Torres J. Cricelio Montesinos-López César Herrera Yury E. García Colleen C. Naughton Heather N. Bischel Miriam Nuño Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity Epidemics Wastewater-based epidemiology COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Infectious disease Public health |
| title | Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| title_full | Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| title_short | Optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater-based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| title_sort | optimizing spatial distribution of wastewater based epidemiology to advance health equity |
| topic | Wastewater-based epidemiology COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Infectious disease Public health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436524000653 |
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