Advancing poliovirus wastewater surveillance: New EU-WISH publications released

EU-WISH continues to contribute to advancing knowledge on wastewater surveillance (WWS). We are proud to announce the publication of two new papers developed within the project, both focusing on poliovirus surveillance in wastewater.

Sampling Schemes in Poliovirus Wastewater Surveillance Studies from European Countries and Their Comparison to Other Studies: A Literature Review
Rožanec J, Učakar V, Steyer A, Pintó Solé RM and Galičič A (2026) Microorganisms

As the global number of poliomyelitis cases continues to decline and most countries are already classified as polio-free, poliovirus WWS is increasingly important. The paper provides a summary of sampling schemes used for poliovirus WWS in studies done in countries of European Union (EU), together with an analysis of its objectives and a comparison with studies done in other countries. The results indicate that most studies from EU countries conduct poliovirus WWS directly in line with World Health Organisation recommendations, despite these being primarily designed for developing countries with a high risk of poliovirus circulation. The findings highlight the need to optimise poliovirus WWS systems based on national risks of virus introduction and circulation, ensuring long-term sustainability.
This literature review was conducted as part of the EU-WISH project with the objective to obtain information on sampling schemes for poliovirus WWS, serving as a basis for the development of future guidance.

A second EU-WISH publication has also been released, further contributing to the project’s work on poliovirus detection and public health responses in wastewater surveillance.

Public health responses following identification of poliovirus in wastewater
Lesenfants M, Suffredini E, Mancini P, Franco A, Congiu D, Richter J, Christodoulou C, Meyers A, Huseynov S, Stefanelli P and La Rosa G (2026) The Lancet Public Health

In this paper, the potential of wastewater surveillance to trigger preventive public health responses - environmental surveillance, clinical surveillance, vaccination, risk communication and coordination -  is demonstrated, often before the appearance of cases of paralysis.
Overall, the Review highlights environmental surveillance as an operational early warning system within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and provide insights applicable to preparedness and response frameworks beyond poliovirus.

To improve accessibility and visibility of our work, we have created a new dedicated section on our website where all EU-WISH publications are now gathered. We invite you to explore these new resources and follow upcoming EU-WISH outputs as we continue to support the development of wastewater surveillance strategies across Europe.

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