The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expanding its infectious disease monitoring program at four major U.S. airports to cover over 30 pathogens, including influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses.
The CDC's Traveler Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program, led by the CDC's Traveler's Health Division, aims to detect new SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogens by collecting nasal swabs and wastewater samples from international travelers arriving at U.S. airports.
The program is currently conducting COVID-19 surveillance at seven major international airports in the United States. Now, as a pilot program, it is being expanded to include testing for over 30 bacteria, antibiotic resistance targets, and viruses, including influenza A and B viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at Boston Logan International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington, D.C. Dulles International Airport, and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Traveler Genomic Surveillance program was launched in 2021, where the CDC began collecting anonymous nasal swab samples from international travelers arriving at participating airports who voluntarily agreed to be swabbed.
As of last month, the monitoring program has tested over 370,000 travelers through nasal swab sampling, with around 6,000 travelers participating voluntarily each week. The program has collected samples from travelers from over 135 countries and conducted further analysis on over 14,000 samples.
The wastewater surveillance program was launched in August 2022, using custom collection equipment to collect wastewater from an arriving plane. The samples are then transported to a laboratory for RT-PCR testing. If samples test positive for specific pathogens, such as COVID-19, they undergo whole-genome sequencing to identify variants.
Since its launch, the program has been collaborating with Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotechnology company focused on building global biosafety infrastructure, to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect, and respond to a variety of biological threats.
According to CDC data, current COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain stable, with over 15,700 hospitalization records for every 100,000 people as of the week ending on October 28. COVID-19-related deaths have not significantly changed in the past week, with reported deaths slightly below 600.
Flu activity has seen slight increases across the country, but activity levels remain low. In the week ending on October 28, public health laboratories reported 189 cases of the flu, with 77% being influenza A and 23% influenza B.
The CDC's Traveler Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program, led by the CDC's Traveler's Health Division, aims to detect new SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogens by collecting nasal swabs and wastewater samples from international travelers arriving at U.S. airports.
The program is currently conducting COVID-19 surveillance at seven major international airports in the United States. Now, as a pilot program, it is being expanded to include testing for over 30 bacteria, antibiotic resistance targets, and viruses, including influenza A and B viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at Boston Logan International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington, D.C. Dulles International Airport, and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Traveler Genomic Surveillance program was launched in 2021, where the CDC began collecting anonymous nasal swab samples from international travelers arriving at participating airports who voluntarily agreed to be swabbed.
As of last month, the monitoring program has tested over 370,000 travelers through nasal swab sampling, with around 6,000 travelers participating voluntarily each week. The program has collected samples from travelers from over 135 countries and conducted further analysis on over 14,000 samples.
The wastewater surveillance program was launched in August 2022, using custom collection equipment to collect wastewater from an arriving plane. The samples are then transported to a laboratory for RT-PCR testing. If samples test positive for specific pathogens, such as COVID-19, they undergo whole-genome sequencing to identify variants.
Since its launch, the program has been collaborating with Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotechnology company focused on building global biosafety infrastructure, to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect, and respond to a variety of biological threats.
According to CDC data, current COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain stable, with over 15,700 hospitalization records for every 100,000 people as of the week ending on October 28. COVID-19-related deaths have not significantly changed in the past week, with reported deaths slightly below 600.
Flu activity has seen slight increases across the country, but activity levels remain low. In the week ending on October 28, public health laboratories reported 189 cases of the flu, with 77% being influenza A and 23% influenza B.
