What Sewage Can Tell Us About Outbreaks of Polio, Monkeypox and Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic renewed interest in the practice of testing sewage to track outbreaks of disease, including polio, which was declared a disaster emergency in New York. WSJ visited a Bay Area wastewater facility to find out how testing works and what it can tell us about public health. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

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