A tribal wastewater project helps prevent COVID-19 and flu with early detection and research on the reservation
NativeBio scientists working on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation are finding that lowly, smelly wastewater is a reliable predictor of COVID-19 and other bacterial-related health ailments.
The research project, “Strengthening COVID-19 prevention strategies via wastewater surveillance in a Northern Plains Tribe” is led by Jeffrey Henderson at the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health with NativeBio conducting research within the community. The project is funded by the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Wastewater testing can be challenging in tribal communities because many are in remote areas. On the 4,266.987 square acre Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, NativeBio monitors strategic wastewater sites looking for spikes in COVID-19. This type of testing in relatively low-density settings is proving to be effective.
"Wastewater monitoring allows the possibility for a caring and helpful response to rural tribal communities such as telehealth calls, direct testing of the entire community, and increased assistance," says Kali Dale, NativeBio research director.
Joseph Yracheta, NativeBio executive director adds, “Indigenous researchers intimately and personally understand and appreciate a tribal community’s cultural sensitivities for any biomedical research, much-needed interventions, and unhealthy environmental exposures, which are all combined when doing research investigations with wastewater.”