Tracking viruses in Houston schools: Wastewater surveillance helps protect kids’ health

Disease surveillance didn’t stop after COVID-19 — it expanded. Houston’s wastewater monitoring now covers more sites, more pathogens, and school-specific alerts.

The Stadler Lab at Rice University, in partnership with the City of Houston, continues the wastewater surveillance effort that began during the pandemic—and has grown well beyond COVID-19 to give families, schools, and public health officials earlier, broader warnings of what’s circulating.

How it works
People who are infected shed tiny amounts of virus into wastewater through everyday activities. By routinely testing those samples, we can spot viral trends before they appear in clinical data, providing a head start for prevention.

What’s expanded

Network scale: 100+ collection sites citywide (treatment plants, the county jail, nursing homes, homeless shelters, and 47 HISD schools).

Pathogen panel: Routine tracking of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV, with capacity to screen up to 29 pathogens and select bacteria as needed.

Action tools: A public dashboard for citywide trends and a school wastewater alert program so communities can receive notifications tied to specific campuses.

Why it matters
Earlier, location-specific signals help families—especially those with medically vulnerable children—take timely precautions. For the city and school districts, wastewater surveillance is a low-burden, high-coverage tool that supports faster, smarter response plans.

Original Media Press linked down below. Source: KPRC.