The UK Health Security Agency is looking to set up an early warning system ahead of future pandemics, launching a £1.3 million (around $1.75 million) program to identify "cutting-edge technologies" which could turn people's pee and poop into valuable data on the spread of viruses.

"Wastewater monitoring has the potential to be central to our work on pathogens that threaten public health. It shows great promise as a cost-effective way for us to quickly detect a range of emerging pathogens, which is vital for an effective response," said UKHSA chief data bod Professor Steven Riley of the plan.

"This is an exciting and important project. The diversity of biological threats is increasing globally, and it's crucial that we stay at the cutting edge of new technology to detect them."

The idea

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