The practical implications of wastewater-based illicit drug epidemiology
2019
Gunnar, Teemu | Kankaanpää, Aino
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has recently become one of the most rapidly evolving disciplines engaged in the measurement of population-level (illicit) drug use. While gaps in the current research base remain and further development is beneficial to improve analyses performed through WBE, the approach has partially transitioned from focussing on analytical obstacles and applications to exploring how WBE data can be combined with different data sets and how to most efficiently utilize the elicited information in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. This cooperation would ideally involve cross-governmental and interdisciplinary actors, including scientists, law enforcement agents, health-care workers and policy makers to achieve the most synergistic outcomes. This article provides a synthesis on how WBE, especially in combination with other sources of information, may have significant implications not only for epidemiological research but for the rapid deployment of the gathered information and actual drug policies.
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