Reference
Glossary
Definitions of the core concepts used throughout the dashboard.
- Researched
- Exploratory or academic WES work led by a university or research institute. No requirement for a regular schedule, minimum number of sites, or government reporting. Proves technical feasibility, builds local evidence, trains personnel. Does not constitute surveillance until routine.
- Surveyed
- Routine, scheduled wastewater monitoring for a specific pathogen — regardless of the number of sites or frequency. Operationally active and repeatable, but may sit outside the national surveillance architecture or feed only into a parallel system.
- Integrated
- WES data is formally linked to the national disease surveillance and response system. Results demonstrably inform government decisions through e.g. vaccination campaigns, outbreak alerts, policy updates. Requires both a data flow and an institutional mandate to act on the data.
- Cost per sample
- The complete unit cost in USD to collect, transport, process, and analyse one sample from one site. Includes direct recurrent costs, capital costs, and indirect costs (overheads).
- Population coverage
- The estimated proportion of the country's total population that the WES system covers. Includes the estimated proportion linked to formal sewage systems (sewered population). High sewerage coverage is a key enabler for expanding WES scope.