In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and KWR Water Research Institute, and on behalf of the Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI), our wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) lead Assistant Professor Pang Junxiong Vincent contributed his expertise to an international workshop held during Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2026 at Marina Bay Sands on 17 June 2026.
The workshop, titled “Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for New Pathogens,” brought together leading experts to explore the evolving landscape of wastewater-based epidemiology. Its primary aim was to highlight the role of WES for emerging and re-emerging pathogens beyond SARS-CoV-2 and poliovirus, and to chart a path forward for scaling up multi-pathogen surveillance efforts worldwide.
Asst Prof Vincent Pang speaks on wastewater surveillance for public health at Singapore International Water Week 2026.
Approximately 20 international participants, representing leaders in public health, infectious disease control, and wastewater surveillance, shared their perspectives. Participants included Asia PGI partners from Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore. Co-organisers Professor Gertjan Medema (Principal Microbiologist at KWR and Director of KWR’s WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality & Health), recipient of the 2024 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize and recent inductee to the US National Academy of Engineering, and Bruce Gordon (Unit Head of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health at WHO) moderated the discussion.
Benjamin Lee, representing Singapore's National Environment Agency, one of Asia PGI's partners, speaks at the SIWW workshop on wastewater surveillance.
Key discussion points
Key discussion points from the meeting included:
- Value of wastewater surveillance: The added value of wastewater surveillance in tracking infectious diseases was highlighted, as it provides complementary insights to traditional clinical and syndromic surveillance.
- Role of expanded testing: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an expansion in the range of pathogens being tested using wastewater surveillance, including respiratory pathogens and diseases like Mpox and measles.
- Growing knowledge distribution: As wastewater surveillance knowledge is created across different settings and countries, there is recognition of the growing distribution of knowledge and the importance of sharing learnings.
- Real-world case studies: Various case studies around the world were mentioned, including examples on Zika from Singapore, Japanese encephalitis in southern Australia, measles and mumps in different settings, Mpox in low-resource areas, and typhoid in Indonesia.
- Systematic frameworks: Frameworks and underlying processes for pathogen surveillance were outlined, with emphasis on multi-pathogen surveillance.
- Public health decision-making: Participants discussed how wastewater surveillance data can be used to inform public health decisions, such as vaccination recommendations, noting the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration.
- Challenges in unsewered settings: The challenges faced in unsewered settings when it comes to implementing wastewater surveillance effectively were acknowledged.
Co-organisers and co-moderators Bruce Gordon (left), Unit Head of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health at the World Health Organization, and Professor Gertjan Medema (right), Principal Microbiologist at KWR and Director of KWR’s WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality & Health.
The workshop concluded with a forward-looking discussion on practical next steps to integrate wastewater surveillance into public health strategies. Participants emphasised that translating wastewater data into actionable public health interventions will require ongoing collaboration between surveillance experts and disease control teams, as well as further evidence to guide best practices. This collaborative approach aims to ensure that wastewater surveillance delivers real-world impact in monitoring and controlling infectious diseases.