Avian Influenza H5 Wastewater Surveillance Metrics for US Locations

CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System provides a complete time history of Avian Influenza A (H5) wastewater sample data and calculated metrics from US sampling locations. Data is collected by state and local health departments, CDC's national contract with Verily, and the WastewaterSCAN partnership. The dataset is updated weekly on Fridays.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in virus concentration (pcr_target_flowpop_lin) by state_territory and county_fips to identify regional outbreaks.
• Model the relationship between population_served, flow_rate, and pcr_target_mic_lin to adjust for sampling and dilution factors.
• Assess sample quality and processing efficacy by correlating rec_eff_percent and inhibition_detect with final concentration metrics.
• Compare detection signals across different data sources (source column: State_Territory, CDC_Verily, WastewaterSCAN) for validation studies.

Strengths

• Data includes multiple calculated concentration metrics (e.g., pcr_target_flowpop_lin) for analytical depth.
• Comprehensive coverage across US states and territories via the NWSS network.
• Weekly updates provide near-real-time monitoring capability.

Limitations

• Sample size and temporal range are unspecified, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Data from WastewaterSCAN carries specific license restrictions (CC BY-NC 4.0) and experimental disclaimers.
• Potential for geographic bias if sampling locations (site) are not uniformly distributed.

Provenance

Source

CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), with contributions from state/local health departments, CDC-Verily contract, and WastewaterSCAN.

Collection Method

Wastewater samples collected from US locations, processed, and PCR-tested for Avian Influenza A (H5) genetic material.

Freshness

Updated weekly on Fridays.

Geography

United States sampling locations.