The feasibility of bringing back wastewater surveillance in Hamilton to detect emerging infectious disease is being examined by city staff.

“One of the benefits of wastewater sampling is that it’s a really cost-effective tool for public health concerns,” said Dr. Robin Lennox, a Hamilton family physician. “It can be tailored to identify specific pathogens of concern based on what a local community actually identifies as their priorities, so it can look at anything from respiratory viruses to sexually transmitted infections.”

Lennox is one of the six new community members on the city’s public health subcommittee that provides recommendations to council on policy and other matters.

The doctor put forward a motion that was approved at the meeting on Monday for staff to report on the feasibility of implementing a local wastewater surveillance program to track diseases such as mpox, COVID, RSV, influenza and H5N1 or avian flu.