"We want to be ready for the next pandemic": Bath scientists to analyse wastewater for disease
The University of Bath has launched a ground-breaking new centre in the west country
Last updated 2nd Apr 2025
Scientists at the University of Bath have launched a ground-breaking new water monitoring centre in the west country.
Samples will be taken from wastewater across Bristol, Bath and North Somerset to be analysed by the team at the Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE).
The data will be used to alert public health teams of new outbreaks, help hospitals prepare for treatment and take steps to minimise infection and stop the spread.
Research will also provide a better understanding of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
It's hoped the centre will play a large part in detecting and preventing another pandemic.
The project is led by the University of Bath's Professor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern.
“We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic how useful it was to get data on numbers infected and their location, but it took days to get data back from PCR tests and was very expensive," said Professor Kasprzyk-Hordern.
“WBE is comprehensive, anonymous and unbiased - it can pick up asymptomatic cases, those from difficult-to-reach communities or areas lacking testing infrastructure.
“By using wastewater-based epidemiology we are enabling public health experts to monitor health and environmental risks quickly and efficiently.”
Researchers will work with partners at Wessex Water to collect and analyse weekly water samples from four “living labs” in the urban catchment areas of Bath and Bristol, and the more rural catchments of Paulton and Radstock in Somerset.
Dr Matthew Wade, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said: “The UKHSA has been working closely with Barbara’s team at the University of Bath for several years to develop a national wastewater monitoring system for infectious diseases and collecting public health data.
“We’re delighted to continue to be part of this important project and very excited to achieve this milestone of launching the UK’s first pilot wastewater monitoring centre.”