The secret to the early detection of COVID-19 surges could lie in what we flush down the toilet, according to Irish public health officials.
Members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) have recommended that Irish health agencies should monitor our toilet waste in order to detect spikes in coronavirus.
Minutes of a NPHET meeting on November 12 show health officials agreed that analysing the "genetic material in sewage samples" will help Ireland in its fight against the virus.
Implementing a "robust" system for going through toilet waste will act as an "early warning system" for monitoring levels of coronavirus in the community, NPHET chiefs said.
The Health Protection Surveillance System and the National Virus Research Laboratory will work to put in place a method of testing sewage for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 – the strain of coronavirus that causes that disease we've all become so acutely familiar with.
The news comes as medical experts continue to emphasise the importance of rigorous surveillance when levels of the virus are low in the community.
At the meeting, NPHET members also discussed the body's role as a public health advisor, deciding that its purpose is to make recommendations and not to deviate from the "best scientific and medical evidence."
NPHET has in recent months had several high-profile divergences from Government policy when it comes to steering the country through COVID-19 – even earning a public rebuke from Leo Varadkar when it recommended a move to Level Five in October.
But minutes of the November meeting highlight the belief of NPHET members that "any deviation, including making exceptions for the Christmas period, runs the risk of losing credibility."
The self-reflection came weeks before the Government moved to reopen the country for December, in a lockdown lift that went well beyond the recommendations from NPHET.
In a letter to Health Minister, the body also warned of a third wave that could hit harder and faster than the second amid a lethal cocktail of eased restrictions and "inevitable" mixing over Christmas.
For the latest news and breaking news visit dublinlive.ie/news.
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @DublinLive - the official Dublin Live Twitter account - real news in real time.
We're also on Facebook/dublinlive - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the capital.
