Experts meet to discuss advances in wastewater and environmental surveillance in Latin American and the Caribbean – PAHO/WHO

Panama City, Panama, May 12, 2025 – The promotion of wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) since the essential tools for the preparation and response of public health were the upper part of the agenda at the Glowacon Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, which concluded last Friday in Panama City.

The two -day conference, co -organized by the Health Emergency Preparation and Response Authority (HERA) of the European Commission and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), brought together more than 70 participants on the site and more than 130 virtual assistants of the Americas and beyond, including public health officials, researchers, environmental scientists, international funds and partners.

Based on the impulse of previous Glowacon meetings, this regional conference focused on taking advantage of wastewater and environmental surveillance to support the implementation of epidemic intelligence, strengthen early alert systems and integrate Wes into broader public health efforts among Americas. It is aligned with Paho’s strategy on epidemic intelligence to strengthen the early alert of health emergencies (2024-2029), which aims to improve the early detection of outbreaks, disease prone to pandemic and other health emergencies. It also supports the regional genomic surveillance strategy of Paho (2022-2028), which promotes the use of genomic data and encourages coordination in the public, animal and environmental health sectors.

In his opening speech, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of Paho, highlighted the transformative potential of wastewater surveillance: «Wastewater surveillance is not just about detecting pathogens: it is about developing integrated systems, expanding public health intelligence and guarantee From these real tools to real tools to real tools.

Representing the European Commission, Laurent Muschel, Deputy Head of Hera, Underscored The Importance of International Collaboration: «The Collaboration Between Europe and Latin America and The Caribbean Is More Crucial The Ever. Together, Through Initiatives Like Glowacon, We Are Building A Global Sentinel System That Strengthens Our Ability to Identify Health Threats Early, Act Quickly, and Save Lives.

Participants explored a wide range of topics, including the integration of genomic surveillance in Wes, innovative technologies for wastewater analysis, interpretation of data and exchange mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and the importance of community and intersectoral participation. The discussions also focused on how to operationalize wastewater data within public health decision -making processes and how to expand successful models that are already being implemented throughout the region.

A call was made for greater investments by governments, regional organizations and the international community to expand laboratory capacities, harmonized methodologies and integrate WES into national and regional epidemic intelligence networks. The importance of sustainable financing, intersectoral collaboration and capacities development was repeatedly emphasized as a criticism for future success.

About Glowacon

Released in March 2024, the Global Consortium for Water reside and environmental surveillance for public health (Glowacon) provides a platform to advance intersectoral collaboration, innovation and capacities development. It promotes the integration of wastewater and environmental surveillance in early alert systems for public health decision making and pandemic preparation.