Stanford University routinely monitors the wastewater treatment systems of a number of bay-area municipalities, including San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Sacramento, among others. This system, know as SCAN (Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network) provides a unique view and detection of a range of viruses and bacteria. By looking at returning wastewater, SCAN provides healthcare systems with a view into the spread of any number of viral and bacterial threats.
And now, the SCAN system has detected the presence of the Monkeypox virus, in 10 of the 11 wastewater systems it monitors. All of the systems in question are in the bay area, and it certainly provides a wake-up call to the people living there.
The SCAN system was created as a way to track the Covid-19 virus, but it can be used to detect almost anything disease-wise, and is one of the only systems of it’s kind in the country. And one interesting aspect of it is that data from the system, so far, has tracked pretty closely with more standard testing and data collection. In other words, the data that SCAN provides on the spread of a given disease typically matches standard data pretty closely.
If this holds true, we may be in for a greater spread of the virus than current reports are showing, at least in the Bay Area. As of a few days ago, there are just under 2,600 cases of Monkeypox reported in the U.S., but that is likely just the tip of the iceberg.
