Implementing wastewater studies in Latin America and the Caribbean is the focus of an EUDA technical meeting kicking off from 18th to 2o th of febrary in Buenos Aires. The two-day meeting is organised in collaboration with the Secretaría de Políticas Integrales sobre Drogas de la Nación Argentina (SEDRONAR), under the COPOLAD III project.
In 2023, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay received EUDA technical support to draft national wastewater study protocols. This week’s event serves as a platform to: review these protocols; foster South–South cooperation; and discuss the next steps for implementing wastewater studies in these countries.
Experts will share insights from European and Latin American national experiences, highlighting the role of wastewater analysis in early-warning systems and its value for public health monitoring. Discussions will also address key challenges in wastewater-based epidemiology and explore innovative solutions to enhance the accuracy and reliability of this approach.
Looking ahead, the event will also explore tentative next steps for implementing wastewater studies in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, expanding the initiative’s regional impact.
European Agency Support
The European Drug Agency (EUDA) collaborates in the COPOLAD III program to strengthen drug observatories in Latin America and the Caribbean, not only in the adjustment and analysis of national drug policy evaluation indicators. They also support the creation of early warning systems as well as the analysis of data through web surveys and the collection of prevention experiences and the training of public servants in prevention and forensic analysis of drugs.
