ECDC to lead the integration of wastewater-based surveillance into infectious disease surveillance at the European level

The framework outlines the steps that will be taken by ECDC and provides contextual information for policymakers at the national and EU levels, public health stakeholders at the national level, and country actors in the relevant sectors engaged in wastewater surveillance.

The Centre is proposing to:

• establish a European WBS network;
• provide support activities;
• organise stakeholder consultations and ECDC expert assessment to identify candidate pathogens and related health issues for routine WBS for infectious disease;
• support data integration; and
• assess possible databases and reporting options.

This proposal is being put forward in light of growing interest in WBS, with supporting scientific evidence for the approach substantially increasing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several initiatives have already been launched by the European Commission to explore and strengthen WBS. These efforts have laid the groundwork for the activities that ECDC will pursue to integrate WBS more comprehensively into EU/EEA infectious disease surveillance systems.

An update to EU legislation on urban wastewater treatment, which came into force in 2025, has introduced new national requirements for several wastewater monitoring-related activities. However, the implementation of WBS and its ability to inform public health actions are still uneven across the EU/EEA, highlighting the need for additional European-level coordination and guidance.

Now is the time to take stock of the experiences and lessons learned so far and build sustainable systems that can effectively inform public health decision-making. ECDC intends to pave the way in leading such efforts.