Scientists, policymakers and public health experts from 31 countries have called for stronger investment in wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) to improve early disease detection and response, following a global conference in Ghana’s capital.
The appeal came at the close of the Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Conference 2026, which drew 178 in-person participants and more than 400 daily virtual attendees from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Experts said WES offers a cost-effective and non-invasive way to track infectious diseases, including emerging pathogens, by analysing wastewater data. They noted that such systems can complement clinical surveillance, strengthen outbreak preparedness and enable faster public health interventions.
“Wastewater surveillance can generate critical trend data even in the absence of clinical reporting,” said Kate Medlicott, Technical Lead on Sanitation and Wastewater at the World Health Organization. She called for stronger cross-sector collaboration and systems tailored to local contexts.
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the country is committed to integrating WES into national disease control strategies, citing its role in supporting polio eradication efforts and its potential to address wider public health threats.
Participants raised concerns about the heavy reliance on donor funding for WES programmes in many low- and middle-income countries, urging governments to prioritise domestic financing, capacity building and policy integration.
The conference recommended adopting WES as a core element of the One Health approach, integrating it into national surveillance systems, expanding research on cost-effectiveness, developing sustainable financing models and investing in laboratory and technical capacity.
Chairing the meeting, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo called for scalable and sustainable systems to strengthen global health security.
The event was organised with support from institutions including the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Environmental Protection Authority, Scripps Research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
