Dataset Information

Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Recent scientific trends have revealed that the collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may serve as an early warning system for COVID-19. In South Africa, the first COVID-19 epicenter emerged in the Western Cape Province. The City of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape Province, has approximately 4 million inhabitants. This study reports on the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of the City of Cape Town's wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during the peak of the epidemic. During this period, the highest overall median viral RNA signal was observed in week 1 (9200 RNA copies/mL) and declined to 127 copies/mL in week 6. The overall decrease in the amount of detected viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA over the 6-week study period was associated with a declining number of newly identified COVID-19 cases in the city. The SARS-CoV-2 early warning system has now been established to detect future waves of COVID-19.

SUBMITTER: Street R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8618134 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.

Street Renée R Mathee Angela A Mangwana Noluxabiso N Dias Stephanie S Sharma Jyoti Rajan JR Ramharack Pritika P Louw Johan J Reddy Tarylee T Brocker Ludwig L Surujlal-Naicker Swastika S Berkowitz Natacha N Malema Mokaba Shirley MS Nkambule Sizwe S Webster Candice C Mahlangeni Nomfundo N Gelderblom Huub H Mdhluli Mongezi M Gray Glenda G Muller Christo C Johnson Rabia R

International journal of environmental research and public health 20211117 22

Recent scientific trends have revealed that the collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may serve as an early warning system for COVID-19. In South Africa, the first COVID-19 epicenter emerged in the Western Cape Province. The City of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape Province, has approximately 4 million inhabitants. This study reports on the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of the City of Cape Town's wastewater treatment plants ...[more]

PMID: 34831841

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Project description:IntroductionAlthough antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces individual tuberculosis (TB) risk by two-thirds, the population-level impact remains uncertain. Cape Town reports high TB notification rates associated with endemic HIV. We examined population trends in TB notification rates during a 10-year period of expanding ART.MethodsAnnual Cape Town TB notifications were used as numerators and mid-year Cape Town populations as denominators. HIV-stratified population was calculated using overall HIV prevalence estimates from the Actuarial Society of South Africa AIDS and Demographic model. ART provision numbers from Western Cape government reports were used to calculate overall ART coverage. We calculated rates per 100,000 population over time, overall and stratified by HIV status. Rates per 100,000 total population were also calculated by ART use at treatment initiation. Absolute numbers of notifications were compared by age and sub-district. Changes over time were described related to ART provision in the city as a whole (ART coverage) and by sub-district (numbers on ART).ResultsFrom 2003 to 2013, Cape Town's population grew from 3.1 to 3.7 million inhabitants, and estimated HIV prevalence increased from 3.6 to 5.2%. ART coverage increased from 0 to 63% in 2013. TB notification rates declined by 16% (95% confidence interval (CI), 14-17%) from a 2008 peak (851/100,000) to a 2013 nadir (713/100,000). Decreases were higher among the HIV-positive (21% (95% CI, 19-23%)) than the HIV-negative (9% (95% CI, 7-11%)) population. The number of HIV-positive TB notifications decreased mainly among 0- to 4- and 20- to 34-year-olds. Total population rates on ART at TB treatment initiation increased over time but levelled off in 2013. Overall median CD4 counts increased from 146 cells/µl (interquartile range (IQR), 66, 264) to 178 cells/µl (IQR 75, 330; p<0.001). Sub-district antenatal HIV seroprevalence differed (10-33%) as did numbers on ART (9-29 thousand). Across sub-districts, infant HIV-positive TB decreased consistently whereas adult decreases varied.ConclusionsHIV-positive TB notification rates declined during a period of rapid scale-up of ART. Nevertheless, both HIV-positive and HIV-negative TB notification rates remained very high. Decreases among HIV positives were likely blunted by TB remaining a major entry to the ART programme and occurring after delayed ART initiation.

Project description:BackgroundPulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the only definitive and potentially curative therapy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), associated with impressive improvements in symptoms and haemodynamics. However, it is only offered at a few centres in South Africa. The characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing PEA in Cape Town have not been reported previously.ObjectivesTo assess the difference in World Health Organization functional class (WHO-FC) before and at least 6 weeks after surgery.MethodsWe interrogated the adult cardiothoracic surgery database at the University of Cape Town between December 2005 and April 2021 for patients undergoing PEA at Groote Schuur Hospital and a private hospital.ResultsA total of 32 patients underwent PEA, of whom 8 were excluded from the final analysis owing to incomplete data or a histological diagnosis other than CTEPH. The work-up of these patients for surgery was variable: all had a computed tomography pulmonary angiogram, 7 (29%) had a ventilation/perfusion scan, 5 (21%) underwent right heart catheterisation, and none had a pulmonary angiogram. The perioperative mortality was 4/24 (17%): 1 patient (4%) had a cardiac arrest on induction of anaesthesia, 2 patients (8%) died of postoperative pulmonary haemorrhage, and 1 patient (4%) died of septic complications in the intensive care unit. Among the survivors, the median (interquartile range) improvement in WHO-FC was 2 (1 - 3) classes (p=0.0004); 10/16 patients (63%) returned to a normal baseline (WHO-FC I).ConclusionEven in a low-volume centre, PEA is associated with significant improvements in WHO-FC and a return to a normal baseline in survivors.Study synopsisWhat the study adds. South African patients undergoing pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) have a marked improvement in functional status, with many returning to a normal functional baseline. However, the small number of patients included in this study indicates that PEA is probably underutilised. Pre- and postoperative assessment is inconsistent, despite availability of established guidelines.Implications of the findings. More patients should be referred to specialist centres for assessment for this potentially curative procedure. Use of guidelines to standardise investigations and monitoring of patients with CTEPH may improve patient selection for surgery.

Project description:Africa is entering a new fire paradigm, with climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure shifting the patterns of frequency and severity. Thus, it is crucial to use available information and technologies to understand vegetation dynamics during the post-fire recovery processes. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the seasonal spatio-temporal trends of vegetation recovery in response to fires across Africa, from 2001 to 2020. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products comparing the following three-month seasonal periods: December-February (DJF), March-May (MAM), June-August (JJA), and September-November (SON). We evaluated the seasonal spatial trends of NDVI in burned areas by hemisphere, territory, or country, and by land cover types, and fire recurrences, with a focus on forested areas. The relationships between the seasonal spatial trend and three climatic variables (i.e. maximum air temperature, precipitation, and vapor pressure deficit) were then analyzed. For the 8.7 million km2 burned in Africa over the past 22 years, we observed several seasonal spatial trends of NDVI. The highest proportions of areas with increasing trend (p < 0.05) was recorded in MAM for both hemispheres, with 22.0% in the Northern Hemisphere and 17.4% in the Southern Hemisphere. In contrast, areas with decreasing trends (p < 0.05), showed 4.8-5.5% of burned area in the Northern Hemisphere, peaking in JJA, while the Southern Hemisphere showed a range of 7.1 to 10.9% with the highest proportion also in JJA. Regarding land cover types, 48.0% of fires occurred in forests, 24.1% in shrublands, 16.6% in agricultural fields, and 8.9% in grasslands/savannas. Consistent with the overall trend, the area exhibiting an increasing trend in NDVI values (p < 0.05) within forested regions had the highest proportion in MAM, with 19.9% in the Northern Hemisphere and 20.6% in the Southern Hemisphere. Conversely, the largest decreasing trend (p < 0.05) was observed in DJF in the Northern Hemisphere (2.7-2.9%) and in JJA in the Southern Hemisphere (7.2-10.4%). Seasonally, we found a high variability of regeneration trends of forested areas based on fire recurrences. In addition, we found that of the three climatic variables, increasing vapor pressure deficit values were more related to decreasing NDVI levels. These results indicate a strong component of seasonality with respect to fires, trends of vegetation increase or decrease in the different vegetation covers of the African continent, and they contribute to the understanding of climatic conditions that contribute to vegetation recovery. This information is helpful for researchers and decision makers to act on specific sites during restoration processes.

Dataset Information

Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.

Publications

Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.

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