Wastewater from planes helped Abu Dhabi detect monkeypox, Arab Health 2025 hears

Dubai: Monitoring wastewater from flights helped local authorities contain the spread of monkeypox – a zoonotic disease – in the UAE, a top official said on the sidelines of Arab Health in Dubai.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Managing Director and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi-headquartered M42, noted that its environmental sciences department was able to provide effective wastewater health surveillance.

“Monkeypox is very prevalent. We detected multiple cases arriving in Abu Dhabi by testing wastewater from airplanes,” Al Nowais told reporters during a roundtable.

The collected wastewater is analysed for specific pathogens, such as the monkeypox virus or any other relevant markers, and enable authorities to take preventive measures.

“It helped us identify where these fliers were coming from and manage the situation better.”

The environmental sciences surveillance platform uses advanced tools and technology for comprehensive monitoring. By deploying similar wastewater testing tactics, including analysis of sewage and urine, the department successfully detected and contained the spread of coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as respiratory and influenza viruses.

“During COVID, we tested sewerage water, and through the urine samples we collected, we tracked where the virus was spreading. We started clustering Abu Dhabi, that’s what helped to keep the spread rate low because people were not mixing together as much.”

These methods have also proven effective in identifying emerging viruses that have been reported globally.