GENEVA, November 28, 2025 — A surprising new frontier in public health is emerging: wastewater. Scientists are increasingly turning to sewage to track the spread of infectious diseases, and early results suggest it could be a game-changer in monitoring—and potentially curbing—outbreaks like measles.
Wastewater Analysis: A New Tool in the Fight Against Measles
Tracking the highly contagious virus through an unexpected source.
- Globally, vaccination efforts have led to an 88% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024.
- Despite progress, an estimated 95,000 people died from measles in 2024 alone, primarily young children.
- The United States and Canada are facing resurgences of measles and risk losing their “elimination status.”
- Wastewater analysis, previously used for COVID-19 tracking, is now being applied to monitor measles transmission.
Globally, significant strides have been made in measles elimination thanks to widespread vaccination. The World Health Organization reports an 88% decrease in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, estimating that “nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine” during that period. However, the fight is far from over.
In 2024 alone, approximately 95,000 people succumbed to measles—the vast majority of them young children. Worryingly, cases are currently surging in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean region. The United States experienced its highest measles levels in decades last year and is on track to lose its measles elimination status, a fate that recently befell Canada in November after the country recorded over 5,000 cases in just over a year.
What exactly can wastewater tell us about measles outbreaks? After all, wastewater contains a wealth of biological material—saliva, urine, feces, and shed skin cells—making it a surprisingly rich sample for analysis. This approach proved effective during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping scientists understand how the virus was spreading, and it’s now showing promise in tracking measles.
Traditional public health measures to contain the incredibly contagious measles virus involve clinical monitoring in healthcare settings and robust vaccination campaigns. But the addition of wastewater surveillance offers a potentially powerful new layer of insight, providing an early warning system for outbreaks and helping to target interventions more effectively.
