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Volume 32, Supplement –Summer 2026
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE
Other
Wastewater Respiratory Virus Surveillance in Remote Community, Alaska, USA, 2022–2024
Brian Lefferts
, Alyssa Leary, Dana Bruden, Ian Blake, Christine Richman, Sarah Sixberry, Michael Vicente, Jennifer Pak, Ellen Hodges, and James W. Keck
, Alyssa Leary, Dana Bruden, Ian Blake, Christine Richman, Sarah Sixberry, Michael Vicente, Jennifer Pak, Ellen Hodges, and James W. Keck
Table
Results of wastewater and clinical respiratory virus testing for surveillance in remote community, Bethel, Alaska, USA, 2022–2024*
| Season† | RSV | Influenza A virus | Influenza B virus | SARS-CoV-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall surveillance period | ||||
| Samples | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 318 | 78 (24.5) | 128 (40.3) | 29 (9.1) | 265 (83.3) |
| Clinical, n = 7,392 | 364 (4.9) | 543 (7.3) | 107 (1.4) | 372 (5.0) |
| Surveillance days | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 503 | 111 (22.1) | 185 (36.8) | 41 (8.2) | 406 (80.7) |
| Clinical, n = 581 | 215 (37.0) | 203 (34.9) | 49 (8.4) | 232 (39.9) |
| Surveillance weeks, n = 85 | ||||
| Wastewater | 34 (40.0) | 52 (61.2) | 9 (10.6) | 78 (91.8) |
| Clinical |
60 (70.6) |
57 (67.1) |
12 (14.1) |
73 (85.9) |
| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Samples | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 135 | 18 (13.3) | 33 (24.4) | 0 | 129 (95.6) |
| Clinical, n = 3,781 | 228 (6.0) | 303 (8.0) | 0 | 193 (5.1) |
| Surveillance days | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 210 | 29 (13.8) | 55 (26.2) | 0 | 192 (91.4) |
| Clinical, n = 255 | 119 (46.7) | 79 (31.0) | 0 | 126 (49.4) |
| Surveillance weeks, n = 37 | ||||
| Wastewater | 11 (29.7) | 19 (51.4) | 0 | 37 (100) |
| Clinical | 30 (81.1) | 21 (56.8) | 0 | 36 (97.3) |
| First detection date | ||||
| Wastewater | 2022 Nov 7 | 2022 Nov 7 | NA | 2022 Oct 19‡ |
| Clinical | 2022 Oct 29 | 2022 Oct 21 | NA | 2022 Oct 20 |
| Last detection date | ||||
| Wastewater | 2023 Apr 6 | 2023 Jun 14 | NA | 2023 Jun 26 |
| Clinical |
2023 Jun 12 |
2023 Jun 3 |
NA |
2023 Jun 20 |
| 2023–24 season | ||||
| Samples | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 183 | 60 (32.8) | 95 (51.9) | 29 (15.8) | 136 (74.3) |
| Clinical, n = 3,611 | 136 (3.8) | 240 (6.6) | 107 (3.0) | 179 (5.0) |
| Surveillance days | ||||
| Wastewater, n = 293 | 82 (28.0) | 130 (44.4) | 41 (14.0) | 214 (73.0) |
| Clinical, n = 326 | 96 (29.4) | 124 (38.0) | 49 (15.0) | 106 (32.5) |
| Surveillance weeks, n = 48 | ||||
| Wastewater | 23 (47.9) | 33 (68.8) | 9 (18.8) | 41 (85.4) |
| Clinical | 30 (62.5) | 36 (75.0) | 12 (25.0) | 37 (77.1) |
| First detection date | ||||
| Wastewater | 2023 Sep 26 | 2023 Jul 3 | 2024 Mar 21 | 2023 Jul 3 |
| Clinical | 2023 Oct 9 | 2023 Jul 23 | 2024 Jan 5 | 2023 Jul 14 |
| Last detection date | ||||
| Wastewater | 2024 May 21 | 2024 May 30 | 2024 May 20 | 2024 May 24 |
| Clinical | 2024 May 22 | 2024 May 7 | 2024 May 31 | 2024 Apr 23 |
*Values are no. (%) positive for each virus. NA, not applicable; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus. †Dates for combine surveillance were October 19, 2022–May 31, 2024; for the 2022–23 season, dates were October 19, 2022–June 30, 2023; and for the 2023–24 season, dates were July 1, 2023–May 31, 2024. ‡Eight SARS-CoV-2–positive clinical test results were detected in the 14 days before wastewater surveillance was initiated.
Page created: July 16, 2026
Page updated: August 24, 2026
Page reviewed: August 24, 2026
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